Tag Archives: jesus

Wisdom – Proverbs 2:1-9

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The first thing that struck me when reading the first few verses was the importance studying the scriptures. Not to study as a hist orical document,

or just to be able to recite verses, but to feed on it, soaking in the important lessons it has to offer. Storing the knowledge in your heart and actively using it in our lives and relationship with the Lord:

4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. (NIV)

Search for what the He is communicating to us, giving Him our full undivided attention. After all, we certainly wouldn’t be hunting for Gold or Silver and not pay much attention to what we are doing! Search for Gold or Silver, we would have a sense of urgency, a hunger to find what we desired.

Of course we know that material riches do not satisfy, however there is real satisfying riches in Gods Holy Word, and we can find them if we only take the time and make the effort to immerse ourselves and study.

6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (NIV)

Some of the books of the Bible date back thousands of years, and yet it is STILL the worlds best seller! It’s author is the best writer in the universe. In it He has imparted much of His amazing wisdom for us to feed on and apply in our own lives. What a gift. He hasn’t just said “Follow Me”, then leave us on our own to get on with it, but He has sent His Holy Spirit down to us to help and guide us, and He has given us the most amazing Book in the Universe to help, guide and give us wisdom, that we may follow him in a way that will glorify Him and advance His Kingdom!

9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. (NIV)

When we thirst to know what the Lord wants from us, by studying His word and searching for those treasures just like we would search for Silver or Gold, we will gain an understanding of what is “right, just and fair”, and the wisdom to choose the right paths.

Direction – Proverbs 16:1-9

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Proverbs is full of wise words. I’m going to go through line by line noting what I feel the Lord is telling me per verse;

1 We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. (NLT)

Its true! We can have a perfectly laid out plan for the day, and yet nothing seems to go the way we planned it! Is it just bad planning

? Are we incredibly unlucky, or is it God determining our steps giving us opportunities to share Him with others, to show others how His children react in certain situations, thus witnessing into their lives?

I love the example in the Our Daily Bread reading of a choir that turned up to an old peoples home on the wrong day, only to be asked to sing therefore at one of the residents funeral thus witnessing into the lives of those who attended! Their plan had gone wrong but the result was something that enabled them to glorify the Lord.

2 People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. (NLT)

There are many times we can convince ourselves how good we are, and how well we are doing. We loose sight of the Lord, and our motives can become self pleasing. We need to make sure we don’t become proud and do things for our own gain. The Lord as in this verse examines our motives and act accordingly.

3 Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

(NLT)

When we commit our actions to the Lord that will help advance His kingdom and give Him the glory, we will succeed.

4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. (NLT)

First of all no one is exempt from Gods plans, or from His judgement. The actions of the wicked eventually lead to destruction and death.

5 The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. (NLT)

Pride is the opposite to what God wants for us. It gives ourselves credit for things we have achieved, and done. It throws all the good works the Lord has done for us back in His face. Pride is a serious issue in anyones lives. If we are struggling with it, we need to humble ourselves, and give it all to the Lord.

6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. (NLT)

Since I came back to the Lord, a healthy fear of Him has developed in my heart. An understanding that he is our almighty, powerful God. It makes sin a far less attractive option in life, and when I do it leads me to throw myself at His mercy seeking his grace and forgiveness. We shouldn’t act as children, seeing how far we can push our parents, but we should be humble, God fearing, seeking to do what pleases Him. Remembering that the hold of sin has been broken by Jesus death on the cross. Thank you Lord.

7 When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them. (NLT)

There is always going to be an enemy, for to Satan, we are a problem to him! However when our lives please the Lord, even our enemies will not be able to deny what our Mighty God is doing in our lives!

8 Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest. (NLT)

I have said this in a past reading, wealth and riches don’t last for an eternity. The love of God lasts forever as will those who believe and come into His kingdom. Treasures in Heaven also do not have the same fate as earthly treasure, therefore if we live lives pleasing to the Lord, committing ourselves to His will, His plans, His Glory, we can humbly look forward to riches in heaven as our reward. These are unlikely to be gold and jewels, but riches that we can not understand in our earthly form! I can’t wait!

9 We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. (NLT)

This verse sums up this group nicely. The Lord is in control. He has a plan for our lives. Even though we make plans for the days and weeks, the Lord will direct us even in such a way where our own plans fly out of the window!

Giving – Luke 6:38

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Giving is a key ingredient of love!  You only need to read the likes of John 3:16 / Ephesians 5:25 to see that God loves us SO much, that He gave His Son for us!

Everything we have belongs to the Lord.  We therefore have a choice of how to use it.  To we hoard our wealth to ourselves?  Do we use it selfishly to try to gain more money?  Do we risk it on the stock market in the hope to receive more back?  Do we leave it in a savings account waiting for the interest payment at the end of the year to see how much profit has been gained?

When considering how much to give to the church this week, or to charity, or perhaps in helping someone out who is close to us, we would do well to remember this passage of scripture.  Being generous with what God has given us means he is pleased to continue to reward the giving with more to give!!  He rewards a cheerful giver.  This should not be looked upon as the “Bank of God” of the always increasing “Heavenly Stock Market” as giving to receive more wealth is a contradiction in terms!

Essentially, that which we keep, we loose out on as we do not reap heavenly reward nor have any measured return on it.  That which we give, we will still have, and more to continue giving.  God rewards a cheerful giver, with more as he knows it will be used for His glory.  When we receive more, if we keep hold of it, we loose it again and we are back to square one!  Our giving should increase with every blessing that we receive.

I think we also need to be careful that we ensure that our bills are paid, and we are not borrowing money to give.  It worries me when I see some ministries encouraging people to give more than they can afford.  We can’t give what we do not have or have not received.  For example, my friend Clive put it this way in a spiritual context.  When Jesus gave of Himself each day to others, in preaching, witnessing and in miracles, He had come before the Lord in prayer and received spiritually that he could then pour them out to others!

2 Corinthians 9:7, give what’s in your heart to give.  And if you are struggling with that, turn to the Lord in prayer and seek His guidance.

Shine your light – Matthew 5:13-16

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“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father“. (NLT)

I am immediately reminded of being humble and not going good deeds so that others will see…  Surely this is a contradiction?  Not at all!  There are 2 motives for letting your good deeds “shine out for all to see”.  Firstly some people like attention. They like others to admire them, to be impressed and to talk about them.  They like to project an image of themselves to others that creates a picture of perfection etc.

The other motive to “shine” is to Glorify God.  Looking straight away at this short passage, it is obviously not saying, “Shine your light so you will look good and others will talk about you and envy you”!!  It is saying that any good deeds you do, give all the Glory

to God.  Doing the things he requests of us, humbly, without grumbling is a perfect way to shine.  What would Jesus do can be applied to our actions each and every time.  By doing that we don’t need to announce in a loud voice what we have done, as our actions and they way we go about things is so much more a better witness to those looking on.  When people see a Christian really living for the Lord, they can see that its the Lord at work, and He gets the Glory.

An example of issues I have had to work on myself include speeding and gossip!!  For speeding I placed a fish symbol in the back of my car, and I now have a responsibility to ensure I obey the law ensuring I stick to the correct speed limits, and gracious and safe.  For gossip my WWJD band even reminds me of “what would Jesus say”, and I have found that if you think that there is something that you are unsure is right to say as it could be gossip or upsetting, then hold your tongue!

I pray the Lord will strengthen us in all the areas of our lifes that we struggle with, and will enable us to shine in everything we do giving Him the glory.  Amen

Following His Example – Ephesians 5:1-17

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1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (NIV)

Just as we inherit characteristics in how we look (and possibly act) from our parents and family, when we become children of God, we should look to resemble Him by what we do, how we live etc. God sent His son

to die so that those who believe will not die, and so that we can become children of God. As part of the family we should look to our father for the example of how to live.

I am surprised that in nearly 3 months of regular Bible reading the word imitate has been one of the most regular subjects. I would be tempted to think I have covered this subject and can move onto something else, but I remember many mature Christians who have said to me that they continue to learn even 30 years later after reading the very same portion of scripture. The Bible really can speak something different into different situations of our lives all the time. I don’t know of any other book that can really cover all of life like the Bible does!

Moving back to imitation. I am reminded of days at school when a friend would decide to mimic ever action I made. If I scratched my head they would do so. I would get extremely annoyed by it in the end and start saying things like “I am silly” to get the person to say that! OK, perhaps a poor example, but we are called to copy Christ’s example.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (NIV)

It’s all very well being told to imitate, however how are we to do this? Well above is one clear example; we are to forgive as Christ forgave us. Note “just as Christ”, we see this also in the first 2 verses of this reading (Ephesians :1-2).

Moving through the passage, there is advice on what to and what not to do to help us keep true to our walk with the Lord. Vers 3 talks of sexual sin. Check out yesterdays reading I did on living in Darkness (Out of Darkness), it talks about sexual sin being something we need to flee from as it is different from all other sin. It is a sin inside the body, and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Indulging in sexual sin or any other sin for that matter keeps us hidden in the darkness, and disconnects us from the help and support our Lord wants to give us. Remember he can’t look upon sin, but as soon as you ask forgiveness he is there in a shot!

Verse 4 talks of watching what you say and talk about. Filthy language never left Jesus mouth. He only spoke truth and love. We are likewise only to speak the truth, and not to use coarse, or vile words even if they emphasise a point! Mind you, you can still talk about unsavoury things without using bad language so we should also avoid “course talking”, for example joking where the subject has sexual connotations, or an unsavoury hidden (or at times not so hidden) meaning. Foolish talk is also mentioned, and this can mean swearing again, and also talking without thinking! If we babble we can sometimes say things that perhaps we didn’t mean and cause offence to someone. (Guilty as charged!)

Verses 5 & 6 rounds up the previous statements and emphasise the fact that those indulging in this behaviour will be subject to Gods wrath. That sounds scary, and yes God does punish sin. For those who do not believe their actions will lead to death! Why are these verses worded so harshly? I think to really drive the point home that living in darkness does not glorify our Father in Heaven and does not please Him. He will deal with things justly for he is a God of Justice. We have been warned!

Looking in more detail at verse 6, we are warned about being deceived by others words. One thing I am struck by watching some ministries on TV, is how they have used God’s word and Truths out of context. Changing God’s word to suit ourselves is to lie! As Christians we are to adjust our walk to reflect the truth, not to adjust the word to suit how we walk!

Verses 8-10 are a glorious reminder that we were once lost but are now found, we were once in darkness and are now in the light.

As believers we should adjust our actions to imitate our Lord so as to remain in the light, and to glorify Him. Glorifying the Lord acts as a “thank you” for what He did for us, and also offers a living example to those around us of how His saving grace has changed our lives, and that He can do the same for them!

Verses 11 & 12 emphasise the importance of not “going along” with evil deeds.  By going along with them, your silence could act as an endorsement!  We should always be clear and communicate where and when appropriate the Lords view on things using the Bible as our source of truth.  The Bible is Gods Word.  Gods Word is Truth.  Making assumptions of the Lords stance on a situation can be dangerous, we need to make sure we always have Biblical backup to anything we say!

Verses 13 & 14  is an encouragement to those caught up in darkness!  When you are deadlocked in/captive to Sin, you are in darkness and there is no means of escape.  Repent and the light of the Lord will shine on you.  Sin exposed can no longer have a hold on your life for you can now see!  Wake up O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you! 

Verse 15.  A call to live wisely.  Something we cannot do on our own.  Living not as others of this world live, but by following the Lords example and by using Gods Word as our source of wisdom.

Verse 16 tells us not to waste opportunities.  We only have a limited time on this earth, thus we should make sure we jump at every opportunity we have to serve the Lord.  Be it sharing our faith, helping someone who is needy, contributing our skills to a ministry etc.

And finally verse 17.  We have advised over the last few verses firstly of what we must do: Imitate, and then we are given examples and warnings to help us in our walk.  Verse 17 offers a “nutshell conclusion” (do not be foolish), and it then tells us we must understand what the Lord’s will is.  We can only do this by feasting on His word as often as we can, communicating with Him in prayer, fellowship with other Christians and regular Worship.

This passage has been an encouragement and an eye opener for me giving me more insight into how I should act, and what I can do to please and glorify the Lord.  Having been captive to sin and lost in the darkness for many years, I don’t want to return to that wilderness.  This passage is invaluable in offering wisdom for the walk.

Out of Darkness – John 3:1-21

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John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of

the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)

Without Jesus we are in the dark. The darkness of Sin. We are lost. Jesus died so that we may have life and never have to walk in darkness again. Yet some of us choose even after being saved to return to that darkness, and to loose our way again. Thankfully our Father never looses sight of us, however whilst we are in sin and have an unrepentant heart, the Lord cannot help us.

When Jesus was on the cross, he bore all our sin.

Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi,Some manuscripts Eli, Eli lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NIV)

God cannot overlook sin, and although Jesus was completely without sin, that day he took it all on Himself. God could not look upon His own Son because of the Sin. What an amazing God whom would give His only Son to take the Sin of the world to save sinners like me and you!

As the Lord cannot overlook sin, when we are caught up in sin (darkness) for example a habitual sin or sexual sin (which can also be habitual) we cut ourselves off from the Lord, meaning he cannot hear help us until we come to Him with a repentant heart. The moment we say sorry the Lord is there quicker than a heart beat but whilst we harbour sin in our hearts and live in the darkness we will not benefit from His help.

Over the past few months, I have researched and discussed sexual sin with many brothers in Christ. Being caught up in the darkness of sexual sin can be like a slippery slope that you feel you can’t climb up out of. Sexual sin is different from all other sin as all other sin is outside the body, where as sexual sin is inside.

Our body is a temple to the Holy Spirit, in the Old Testament days no one would have dreamt of desecrating the temple in Jerusalem for example.

Sexual sin can manifest itself in many ways including self gratification, pornography, sexual relationships out of wedlock, un-natural relationships, affairs etc. For anyone who is captive to any of these, THERE IS HOPE! Jesus died on the cross so we don’t have to be caught up in darkness. Without Jesus we will always be searching to fill that God shaped hole we have made in our lives, and the deeper in sin we get to try and satisfy ourselves.

To break free turn to Jesus, repent of your sin, and ask for His help and before the words have finished leaving your mouth He will be there, and have brought you into the light. Of course it is hard for those who have been locked in darkness for so long, not to quickly return to the darkness and this is where you need to seek help. Pray to the Lord for strength, and also read His Word. But also seek Christian counsel from a Christian brother or sister. Bringing all your Sin to light to another brother or sister helps expose satan and all his tricks, and he will have to flee as he cannot stand the light! Sin brought into the light looses its power over you. The person you confide in can then offer advice, and also you can hold yourself accountable to them, and any time you fall, not only repent and seek the Lords help, but also talk with your brother or sister. It is less appealing to sin when you know you will have to look your brother or sister in the eyes and admit to them you failed.

I lived in darkness for many years and like a prodigal son turned to God. Like the loving Father He is, He came running to me and brought me back into the light. There is no turning back. I have Christian brothers to help me in my walk too, and the encouragement and wisdom they provide is invaluable.

It is hard, and the lie of the darkness can sometimes be overbearing. Whenever it gets that way, flee whatever the source of temptation is (literally) and look to the light of Christ. Don’t fight it alone!

For those who would like more information, check out http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com or drop me a line.

God Bless.

Who is God? – Psalm 146

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Who is God? A question that to which you may get many different answers. A close friend of mine things God is a guy in the clouds with a white beard who throws thunderbolts down from heaven and makes rules for us all to follow. His idea of God sounds much like the god Zeus from Greek mythology, and I seem to remember featured in the film Fantasia! Unfortunately as strange as it seems, he probably isn’t the only one who has this image of God. Many people have stereotyped God in a way that makes them feel comfortable, and perhaps they can then feel justified for not wanting a relationship with Him.

Surprisingly, even Christians can be guilty of creating an image of God for themselves of which does not truly reflect Him or His nature.  If we want to see who God is, we need to turn to His Word, for the Word is Truth.  Looking at the scriptures and statements below, we can start to see a loving Father God:

God is Love.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)

He is our Father.


Isaiah 64:8  Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; We are all the work of your hand. (NIV)

He is the Creator.
Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

He is Powerful
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (NIV)

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (NIV)

He Loves Us

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

(NIV)

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (NIV)

The above are just a few verses that help us to understand who God is, and the only way to know Him better to to keep studying His Word, and communicating with Him in prayer.  We wouldn’t get very far in our relationships if we were not to talk to each other!  That’s why its important we work on our relationship with God and continue to want to know Him more and more each day.

Take up your Cross – Luke 9:23

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A blog entry isn’t enough space to fill all the things I want to say about the following, and I will more than likely post a commentary about this verse in the near future.  In the meantime here are some of the home truths I learnt and was reminded of today;

23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

(NIV)

A hard verse to stomach perhaps?  Jumped out at me!  Jesus foretells his own death, then invites His disciples (and us) to pick up their own crosses and follow Him.  I really wasnt all together what picking up your own cross meant so I did some digging around.

From what I have read, in a nutshell, taking up your cross is to lead your life as Jesus would live.  We should therefore not indulge  in our selfish desires, thinking only of our own gain, but live a selfless life just as Jesus led.  This is in no way easy, and we can face many oppositions, many conflicting feelings, attacks and stumbling blocks that will try to steer us off the right path.

To gain life, you need to loose it!  That means putting your old life behind you!  Turning 180 degrees, so our backs are to it, and begin walking with Jesus.  Only then will we begin to experience real life!  A life that is given completely and utterly is a life that is guaranteed to succeed!  After all with God in the driving seat we can lean on Him and trust his direction.

When I say guaranteed to succeed, I don’t mean promotions at work, and riches beyond your wildest dreams, but treasures in heaven, spiritual gifts, blessings, a quenched thirst, a fulfilled life.  The persecution you could receive for living for the Lord is but a small price to pay for the rewards we will get from our Saviour.  The reward of life.

An earthly lifetime of truth, and an eternal life with Him.

The Holy Spirit – Romans 8:11-18

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Happy Easter!  Christ is Risen.  Hallelujah!  He has defeated sin and death and is sat at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  He has gone ahead to prepare a place for us.  In the mean time it is our duty to go make disciples of ALL nations.  Our saviour didn’t expect us to do this on our own of course as human nature is weak and quick to give in!  He has poured His Holy Spirit into us so that we may have the necessary strength to witness.

On this Easter Sunday morning I am so encouraged and overjoyed as I remember that Christ rose again and ascended into heaven having completed His work on earth….  The exciting thing is, although he completed that part of Gods plan, He is still working in the lives of countless Christians around the world through the power of His Holy Spirit.  It wasn’t the plan to die on the cross, tell a few people then disappear and wait for people to react! It was His plan to unleash power to those who believe that they may grow strong in faith and wisdom, and be a shining light to the lost to guide them home.

As Christians we need to embrace the full power of the Holy Spirit!  The Holy Spirit is real and so important to the Christian life!  The Spirit is not something we should avoid talking about in church, nor is it something we should assume is a taboo subject.  We are talking about Gods OWN Holy Spirit that he has poured out to give you and me strength!  Not only did He give His life, but He is here among us and in our hearts continuing His works in our lives.

16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

I remember when this finally dawned on me that I was a child of God!  My first words were WOW!  Of course wow doesn’t even do the honour justice!  Because of Jesus death and resurrection, we as believers are adopted into God’s family!  In the UK, and adopted child becomes a lawful son or daughter, and legaly inherits an equal share of their adopted parents estate.  We are His Sons and Daugthers.  Heirs to the Kingdom.  We will inherit eternal life with Him.   WOW!

With that we need to rid ourselves of things that would cause us to sin, things that would enslave us.  For we need to be living each day by the Spirit.  For just as Jesus was raised from the dead, the Spirit will raise us from the dead (the depths of Sin) and bring us new life!  Amen

More Proof? – Romans 1:18-23

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9 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Every now and again, a little doubt is sometimes entertained by my mind of God existence.  Thankfully any time that happens, within seconds I realise how foolish it to doubt!  Just looking up at the stars at night is such an awesome sight.  Beautiful celestial creations, powerful yet graceful, placed their by Gods hand.

Not just the stars in the sky, but the very nature we see around us is so amazing.  Take a look at this website www.edenpics.com, it is full of pictures of God’s glorious creation.  Awe inspiring landscapes, breath taking views, and science would have you believe that all that beauty was an accident!  A reaction that caused an explosion that created all we see?  Not likely!  All I can see is an awesome masterpiece made by a loving artist.  Our God.

Proof of Gods existence is everywhere.  It is humbling therefore to think that our Father God, loved us SO much that he sent His Son to take away the sin of the world, that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.  Do you sometimes doubt Jesus existence?  You only need to look at the history books, and how many people wrote about Him, saw Him and had heard of Him.  We believe in the existence of Julius Ceaser, and yet there is not a lot of evidence he actually existed!  We have the Bible, down through the ages, the written word.  The Bible is Truth.

So he existed, but how can we be sure he was the Son of God.  For me it is how everything he said so perfectly matched Gods promises in the Old Testament!  (Check out Isaiah for a start off!)  Check out this link http://www.sowhataboutjesus.com/who.php that looks in depth into was Jesus a Liar, Lunatic or the Son of God.  You will come to the same conclusion I came to long ago, that he really is the Messiah, the Son of God, sent to this world to pay the price for our sins.

Coming to this realisation really humbles me.  What amazing love that He would die for me.  I can’t thank Him enough.  Its at Easter time that I feel so sad and ashamed that my sin drove those nails into His hands and His feet.  But then I remember that He rose again, victorious over death, so we may too have eternal life.  That we may have a relationship with Him, and love him forever.

Thank you God for loving us so much.  Thank you for your sacrifice on the cross.  You are amazing God.  I love you.