Posts Tagged ‘repentance’
Advance the Gospel
If someone were to ask you how your life advances the Gospel of Christ, what would you say? Does your career advancement bring the truth of the Gospel to new believers? Does your summer cottage or beach house inspire believers to live for Christ? Here’s what is strange about my question. For many Christians, a…
Read MoreRepent and Believe
The message from God is as clear as the fresh water in the Holy Water Font used this week for Theophany. When Our Lord began His ministry, He called everyone to repentance and belief. The message was clear then, and it is clear now. We must change the way we think about God. In those…
Read MoreThe Fruit of Repentance
The Church is always talking about bearing fruit, so today I thought I would write about the fruit of repentance. Fruit always starts with a seed which is planted, nurtured, and eventually harvested. Where is your seed of repentance? At that time, there were some present who told Jesus of the Galileans whose blood Pilate…
Read MoreLoss is Gain
It is impossible to read the writings of Saint Paul and not be convicted every time. One benefit of the daily readings of the Church is the daily reminder of how we fall short of God’s glory. Even Saint Paul admits his loss to his spiritual children. His loss is our gain. Brethren, I count…
Read MoreMany Chances to Repent
The sense of guilt can be a strong and even crippling emotion. When we sin once or twice, it is easy to return to God. But when we sin multiple times, guilt can get the best of us and we often choose to stay away from God. Thankfully, God gives us as many chances as…
Read MoreChildren of God
We all come from someone. We all have a mother and father, though sometimes we may be estranged from them. As adults we remember what it ‘was like’ being children. I think maybe that is why we don’t understand what it means to be children of God. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the…
Read MoreAlways a Chance
In my more than thirty years of ministry I have met too many people who have given up on God. They have given up on their ‘chance’ for a better life. They have decided they are not worth anyone’s time, let alone God’s time. In each of those moments in the past thirty years I…
Read MoreJudgment for All
We all fear judgment. As Christians we live in constant fear of being judged either by others, or especially by God. We fear judgment because we know we fall short of righteousness every day. If we are judged, we know we will surely die, so we panic. Today’s lesson from Saint Paul is more than…
Read MoreTurning Against God
Our first parents chose to turn their backs on God rather than follow Him in The Garden. The ancient Jews turned their backs on God when they didn’t like the message of the prophets. We turn our backs on God every time we choose our agenda ahead of God. We may not want to admit…
Read MoreChase Away Sin
Take a moment and look around at the behavior of those around you. Is the behavior worthy of Christ? We are surrounded by people who refuse to honor Christ. Or worse, those who think they are honoring Christ while refusing to ‘give up’ their sin, so we chase them away. This is the most common…
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