The Psalms are uncomfortably honest about us. We are not basically good people who occasionally make bad choices. Sin runs deeper than that. We are born with hearts bent away from God. We justify ourselves. We minimize our sin. Sometimes we even convince ourselves that God doesn’t see what we’d rather keep hidden. Psalm 14 … Continue reading When God’s Holiness Meets Our Sin
repentance
The Quiet Power of Words
Transformation of the tongue flows from transformation of the heart.
Christ’s Cross: Necessity, Pardon, and Power
Luke 24:44-49 Our Lord speaks of His death not as tragedy, but as divine necessity: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead the third day” (v. 46). Christ’s death was essential for our salvation. Without it, God’s justice would remain unsatisfied, sin unpardonable, and guilty sinners forever barred … Continue reading Christ’s Cross: Necessity, Pardon, and Power
The Gaze that Brings Us Home
Luke 22:55–62 Luke alone records the moment after Peter’s third denial when “the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” Even surrounded by enemies and facing unjust suffering and death, Jesus still fixed His eyes on His failing disciple. It was a look filled not with anger, but with sorrowful mercy—a silent sermon Peter never forgot. … Continue reading The Gaze that Brings Us Home
“Godly sorrow works repentance.”
—2 Corinthians 7:10 Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature’s garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them. If you have one particle of real hatred for … Continue reading “Godly sorrow works repentance.”
The Ancient Sacrifice – Humility
The poet Rudyard Kipling wrote the following words in 1897, as an admonition to the British Empire against pride: “The tumult and the shouting dies; the captains and the kings depart. Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, a humble and a contrite heart.” When Kipling spoke of a contrite heart as an “ancient sacrifice,” he was … Continue reading The Ancient Sacrifice – Humility
Why Do We Take Time to Confess Our Sins in Corporate Worship?
Have you ever wondered why we regularly confess our sins to God during our worship services?The regular discipline of confession enables us to grasp more fully the beauty and wonder of grace as we are made continually aware of the depth of our need of God’s unmerited favor. Christopher Ash explains why we confess our … Continue reading Why Do We Take Time to Confess Our Sins in Corporate Worship?
Psalm 14 and the Miracle of Your Salvation
This morning devotional reading took our small group through Psalm 14. It starts like this: The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who … Continue reading Psalm 14 and the Miracle of Your Salvation
Ashes on Ash Wednesday
Friends, today is Ash Wednesday on the church's calendar. It starts the season of Lent that is a forty-day preparation period for Easter Sunday. Count back forty days from Easter (excluding Sundays) and you will arrive at this Wednesday… exactly seven weeks before Easter. This forty-day period corresponds to Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness … Continue reading Ashes on Ash Wednesday
Prayer of Confession of Sin – Psalm 95
According to a simple reading of Psalm 95, My love, adoration and joy in you has been too measured and too contained. Tim and Kathy Keller write in their devotional on this Psalm: "When the love of the immeasurably great and transcendent God of the universe becomes real to us, the joy should be uncontainable.”My … Continue reading Prayer of Confession of Sin – Psalm 95
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