Discipleship

 Forgiveness Is Freedom Ever had an experience where you gave trust and love with abandon, but you were “burned” in the end? You know. Went out of your way for someone, but not only did you not get a bit of recognition, you were criticized for it. Transgressions, or abuses, against us are very difficult to ignore or let go of. Often, we say to ourselves that we’ll forgive the person, but we know we won’t forget. Speaking of transgressions, when inspecting my life, I see that my transgressions against God are enormous. Yet God has forgiven me. Unbelievably, He has moved my sins away from Him, as far as the East is from the West. God forgives me, but commands that I forgive others in the same way. He tells me in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (NASB95) Also, and here is the tough part, Philippians 2:3 says, “Do no...

  Eternity—sounds like a long time. When was the last time you considered your eternal soul? God wants you to spend your eternity in heaven with Him. Not in the lake of fire with Satan. We know intuitively that we are made for more than just existing. Our soul, which is our “life,” our essence, that which God created uniquely for each of us, begs for relevance. You’ve felt it. Our soul is that motivating power that brings strength of will and, together with the heart, determines our conduct. When Jesus commanded us to love God with all our soul, He is talking about the power of our lives. If your soul is tossed and turbulent, never at ease and moving away from God, you become susceptible to false teachers, a corrupt world, and Satan’s plans. Your love is drifting like flotsam and jetsam in your culture’s trends. Your only anchor is God’s Word. We often hear that we should listen to our hearts to know what is right for us. Bad advice. Your heart decides feelings,...