Tag: the cross
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Keeping the Law
1 Timothy 1:9 “the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient” If you obey the speed limit 99 times out of 100, do those 99 “obediences” help you when an officer pulls you over for speeding? If you’ve ever been stopped, have you ever used this defense: “Sir, I…
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Absolute Sovereignty
John 19:28-30 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his…
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The Cost
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death. . . “ The next time you watch a sitcom on television, one that time after time makes jokes about all kinds of sin, it may be good to ask yourself, what is the cost of such sin? Indeed, is there a cost? Does it matter…
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Our Longsuffering God
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Patience: it’s something I wish I had a lot more of, and in particular patience for people, such as my own wife. Too often I have…
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A Very Great Race
Hebrews 12:1 “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” In various places in Scripture the Christian life is compared to a race. In other places it’s called a “fight.” These words call to mind a contest, one…
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Life or Death?
Philippians 1:21-25 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in…
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Perfect Love
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” The verse above talks about “perfect love.” Understanding this concept is such a critical thing, for it is the antidote to fear, and who wants that,…
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The World’s Two Religions
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Do you realize that there are really only two religions in the world? They come in many forms, but in their basic essence there are only two. One form is rooted in…
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Such a Strange Way – to Save the World
Luke 22:35-38: “And he said to them, ‘When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘Nothing.’ He said to them, ‘But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his…
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The Record
Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” Colossians 2:13-14 “And you, who were dead in…
To Encourage You 