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The Beautiful Attitudes – Part VII: Blessed are the Peacemakers
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9 NET)
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Can Christians be afraid?
Like any good social media user, I recently sat as a fly on the wall of an internet debate regarding how God treats fear. I “listened” as people passionately argued that fear is simply something we shouldn’t do. The conversation began because a popular Christian author suggested that it is okay to be afraid, going on to say that God will be with us in our emotions. The thread continued for quite some time, working to solidify the idea that as believers we simply aren’t supposed to be afraid, and when you are, you are out of line with scripture. I am sensitive to shame in the Christian culture…
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Living Out of the Heart Jesus Won for Us
The guests are gone, the good dishes are stored, the decorations are removed, and the Easter story is put away. Wait a minute! The Easter story is not meant to be put away but to be lived year-round! It is so easy to celebrate Easter according to the calendar but neglect to live by the transformational truths every day of our lives. We each have a debt of death to pay to God for our sins, but Christ’s death on the cross cancelled our debt (Rom 6:23; Col 2:13-14). Christ intensely suffered physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in His excruciating death on the cross (in our place). He became sin…
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Jesus Rose!
Sunday School Chronicles Me: What’s coming up? Kids: Easter! Me: Yes! Easter! I know y’all are super pumped about getting an Easter basket, doing Easter Egg Hunts, and even dressing up. Me? I’m pretty mad at my mom because she won’t make me Easter baskets anymore. Class: WHAT? Are you serious? No way! Me: Way! I’m her child! I didn’t ask to be here. So I should get a basket for forever. So anyway! Jesus dying shouldn’t be a surprise. Why? Kid 1: Because Jesus told the Disciples he was gonna die. Me: Yes! But that’s not all He told the Disciples. What else shouldn’t have surprised them? Kid 2:…
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HOW TO GROW IN OUR TRUST OF GOD
In America, we put the words, “In God we Trust” on every bill that goes into our pocket. By the way we act when there are no dollars in our pocket I would say we trust more in the dollar than we do in our God. Relationships are built on trust. So how do we teach our children to trust in God?
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Part V: The Lord of the Scroll – The Re-Birth of the King!
At Calvary, it is a little after 3:00 PM, with the Jewish day being over at approximately 7:30 PM. In Paradise, the believing thief recalled what Jesus had said to him while on the cross – “Today” (i.e., before 7:30 PM Luke 23:43) He would join him in Paradise. How can this be since Jesus is in the Abyss? But then again, he thought, while his eyes darted back to the Abyss, Jesus never lies… And Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43 NET) Those in Paradise stared intently at the entrance to the Abyss. The entrance was…
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No Death, Resurrection, and Ascension – No Salvation
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:13,17 NET)
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Hanging by a Thread
I saw them just in time. On a recent bike ride with my little boys, we turned onto a paved trail covered by big, beautiful shade trees. As we entered nature’s wonderland, something floating caught my eye. In front of us tiny, bright green inch worms dangled from the trees, each by a single silken thread. I abruptly stopped my four-year-old, fairly certain he hit one with his bike helmet before breaking. I tried to hide my panic as we quickly turned around to find another route. As someone who is mildly (okay, very) afraid of creepy crawlies, I can’t seem to get the scene out of my head. Not…
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Part IV: The Lord of the Scroll – The Death of the King
The Dark Archangel – Satan – had been defeated in his first confrontation with the King, who was fully God (but voluntarily not utilizing His abilities as God Philippians 2:5-8) and fully Man. Nevertheless, He was a man with the fullness of the power of God, the Holy Spirit in His life! Satan knew that man must sin before He can be killed – for death is the minimum wage of sin (Romans 6:23). No sin, no death, and no elimination of this enemy!
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Tamar’s “Wrong” Makes It Right
Today I’m happy to host guest columnist Katherine Tucker. You can read her bio below. In honor of Women’s History Month, consider the hope of Easter through the story of a woman in the Bible. Her story is obscure, often misunderstood, and frequently passed over. Those familiar with it tend to cringe a little at her name. “Tamar.” It invokes ideas of prostitution, seduction, and revenge. What could this harlot have to do with our LORD, the incarnation, and the resurrection? As it turns out, literally everything. The truth is that we have Tamar “the prostitute” to thank for Jesus’s family tree. Tamar is one of three women named in…