"To forgive is divine. It makes us look like our heavenly Father. And we accomplish forgiveness through His Spirit living within us. There is no other way. But it is a choice we must make individually to yield our right to strike back or to get even and to instead offer forgiveness. To pardon our … Continue reading Quote of Note #169: Forgiveness and Freedom
Tag: Jesus
Quote of Note #168: Holiness, Grace, and Following Jesus
"What then is the way to holiness? It is a narrow way and leads through a strait gate, but we cannot with justice complain that it is difficult either to trace or to follow. Many other and harder ways have been tried. On the banks of the Ganges or on the pilgrim route to Mecca … Continue reading Quote of Note #168: Holiness, Grace, and Following Jesus
Quote of Note #166: Defining Marker of Christian Identity
"[H]ow we love one another is not just a matter of justice; it is a matter of evangelism. Scripture says that if we love one another well, people will identify us as Jesus' disciples, and through identifying and experiencing God's love in and through us, many will come to know God themselves. Therefore, how we … Continue reading Quote of Note #166: Defining Marker of Christian Identity
Quote of Note #165: “Love Your Enemies”
"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says, … Continue reading Quote of Note #165: “Love Your Enemies”
Pastor Note #131: A Pastoral Response to Someone Struggling in these Divisive Times
Feeling connected and part of a community of believers has become increasingly hard for me, too, over the last several years. So, I can understand how you feel. There is a kind of spiritual homelessness that has set in for many of us. We can feel such a desire to isolate and retreat from community … Continue reading Pastor Note #131: A Pastoral Response to Someone Struggling in these Divisive Times
Pastor Note #129: How Would Christian Nationalist Government Work?
As a committed Christian, I have to say that the assertion that America is a Christian nation troubles me, rankles my faith, and in many ways leaves me a bit baffled. Those who make that assertion are not making a merely demographic claim based on the fact that the majority of Americans claim to be … Continue reading Pastor Note #129: How Would Christian Nationalist Government Work?
Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Introduction:If saving non-material human souls is all that matters, what is the point of the bodily resurrection of Jesus? If the goal of the Christian faith is to get souls into heaven, then the bodily resurrection of Jesus is irrelevant and unnecessary. And yet, there can be little doubt that the New Testament writers were … Continue reading Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional
Pastor Note #127: A Devotional on the Lord’s Return
Introduction:Surely, there are few biblical topics that have generated as many books, articles, Bible studies, and sermons as the topic of the return of Christ. They are often filled with charts and tables and complex speculations that make quantum physic seem simple. A. W. Tozer writes this, “There have been enough foolish formulas advanced about … Continue reading Pastor Note #127: A Devotional on the Lord’s Return
Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional
Introduction:At the very core of his being, our God is a relational God. Every fiber of God’s nature is biased toward relationship. We see that in the mystery of the Trinity—one God in three Persons, woven in a profound interrelationship of love, one with the other. We also see this relational nature of our God … Continue reading Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional
Pastor Note #124: Forgiving–Why Should I?
Let’s start with this key truth about forgiveness, one that runs counter to much of what we tend to think and what we hear from our culture. Forgiveness does not start out as a feeling. It starts out as a decision. We almost always decide to forgive someone who has hurt us before, often long … Continue reading Pastor Note #124: Forgiving–Why Should I?
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 