Judge Jesus’ way (Part 5)
Grace makes your upcoming judgment great. Judgment day, despite its long delay, is still on its way. But the thought of standing before the all-knowing, perfectly just Jesus doesn’t have to make you nervous or anxious. Because God’s grace makes your judgment great. Grace is God’s undeserved love, the love he showed for you when […]
Judge Jesus’ way (Part 4)
There is a little-known truth about judging Jesus’ way that many Christians miss. “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you’” (1 Corinthians 5:12,13). Judging Jesus’ way means focusing on those of […]
Judge Jesus’ way (Part 3)
One of the hardest but most important parts of judging Jesus’ way is to judge yourself before you judge anyone else. Jesus taught, “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). First judge your own sin with an […]
Judge Jesus’ way (Part 2)
If you hold a strong opinion about something, make sure God agrees with you. One day the Pharisees said, “Jesus! Your friends don’t practice the rituals of our religion.” But Jesus snapped back, “You hypocrites! Your ‘teachings are merely human rules’ (Matthew 15:9). You judge my friends for not washing their hands the ‘right way,’ […]
Judge Jesus’ way (Part 1)
Imagine how great life would be if we all practiced what Jesus preached: “Do not judge” (Matthew 7:1)? Imagine if our world was a judgment-free zone. Imagine if all the students, teachers, and parents at your school supported and encouraged each other instead of criticizing and complaining about each other. Imagine if everyone in your […]
God’s blessings
“God bless.” One day I realized I was using those words frequently without really thinking about them. It was the way I signed off on most emails. It was something I prayed would happen for people who were struggling. It was something I said every time someone sneezed, which is a weird way to acknowledge […]
Not guilty
God never asked us to suspend rational thought processes in order to be Christians. That’s because there is a very close connection between logic and truth. Encouraging logical thinking is the influence of Paul, Augustine, and Aquinas on the Western church. The most important teaching in Christianity is a logical conclusion: “If Christ has not […]
Come as you are—live as he is
Many church websites today display the motto: Come as you are! This is an encouragement for people to understand that Jesus (and their church) welcome and love them, no matter what their past lives have been or their present lives are. Jesus, of course, demonstrated his love for sinners and societal outcasts throughout his earthly […]