To those of you who call yourselves Christians, take your time to read this article and reflect on it.... because I know of some "Christians" who actually will react the way these Churchgoers reacted in the article.

If Jesus / God can forgive.... who are WE as sinners to condemn?

Original Article : The Pastor´s Son (Clickable Link)

The Pastor’s Son

Author Unknown

Like many inspiring movies and books, this short story may be fictional. However, the impact that this work will have on its readers is very real. Enjoy!

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church.

She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans.

This is when the problem began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son.

The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting.

As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand.

The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past.

As she began to cry the pastor's son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this:

My fiancee's past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?

The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters.

Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely, then it cannot cleanse us completely.

If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble.

What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Psalms 55:231 John 1:9

Bigger Than You Imagine

Saturday February 14, 2015

God loves us. Most of us know this. But how many of us feel it? Paul knew that understanding God´s love was a difficult proposition. He believed supernatural revelation was required even to get started (Ephesians 3:16, 18). God´s love is so large and our comprehension so small. How can we ever truly understand His love for us?

Part of our problem is that we interpret God´s love through the lens of human love. If we understand God´s love to be anything like the distorted, damaging "love" we´ve experienced from an abuser, or even the relatively good love of family and friends (at best limited, at worst tainted by wrong motives), we´ll forever feel cold about God´s love for us.

But there´s another way. Through the help of the Holy Spirit we can begin to grasp God´s love not by likeness to, but in contrast to, human love. Try this exercise : think of the most loving thing someone has done for you. Even as great as their act of love was, it´s tiny in contrast to God´s love for you. How tiny? Picture a grain of sand sitting next to a skyscraper. Picture a microbe next to Jupiter. Picture the tiniest trickle alongside the mightiest of rivers, or a strand of cotton next to a mile of fabric. Imagine the faintest scent against the strongest perfume, the quietest chirp against the loudest of thunderclaps. Compare a water drop to the Pacific Ocean, the flicker of a candle to the blaze of the sun, a single leaf to a forest of trees. That´s how tiny human love is, and how great God´s love is!

The truth is that God´s love can never be fully grasped, which means that all contrasts fall short! (v.19). It´s bigger than you could ever imagine. - Sheridan Voysey

Read
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Psalms 36:5
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, 
your faithfulness to the skies.

Question to Ponder
Do you struggle to feel God´s love for you personally?
What comparison can you think of to grasp God´s love for you?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Words of Love

Thursday February 5, 2015

In 2014 some players from a school football team were involved in various forms of poor behaviour : skipping classes, getting failing grades and even cyber-bullying. The team´s coach came up with a radical disciplinary measure : he disbanded the entire team. Players and their families reacted to the news with contrite acceptance, for they knew how much the coach cared for his players.

A similar dynamic exists in the book of Philippians. Paul´s word choices in his letter to the church at Philippi are strikingly intimate and tender. He states that he has the church in his heart, declaring that God Himself can testify how much He loves those who are part of it (Philippians 1:8).

Clearly, Paul deeply loved the church. And this loving tone would have profoundly affected the way the Philipian church understood Paul´s overall instruction. For whatever he subsequently wrote or said, even if it was harsh and direct, they could be confident that the words were selected in a spirit of love. And when you´re confident that someone really loves you, your attitude towards what they have to say is profoundly affected. This same dynamic holds true for us in our relationship with God. When He instructs, rebukes or encourages us, it´s easy to see Him as a strict enforcer of rules, and so we chafe at His "unfair" regulations. But countless passages like John 3:16, Hebrews 12:5-6, and 1 John 3:16 reminds us that more than anything else, it´s love that motivates God in His relationship with us.

Whatever God says, He says in love. Let´s choose to take His words to heart! - Peter Chin

Read 
Philippians 1:3-11
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God´s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer : that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this : While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4-5
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -i is by grace you have been saved.

Question to Ponder
What´s the main way you view and understand God?
As a judge or enforcer of rules? As a loving parent or friend?
How does your understanding of God affect the way you listen to His words and commands?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015

Love, Life and Religion

Saturday December 6, 2014

In the book Bono : A Self-Potrait in Conversation, the legendary U2 vocalist shared these thoughts on God´s love with author Michka Assayas. "My understanding of the Scriptures," Bono says, "has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean?`What ie means for me : a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honour. I don´t let me religious world get too complicated... God is love, and as much as I respond in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that´s my religion."

The apostle Paul wrote often about God´s remarkable love, striving to capture its fullness as found in His Son (Ephesians 3:17). Though undeserved, God´s love is given to us freely through Jesus and - astonishingly - unlike any other love, it can´t be taken from us.

"I am convinced," wrote Paul, "that nothing can ever separate us from God´s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God´s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

As we more fully understand "how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is," Paul explains "then [we] will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God" (Ephesians 3:18-20).

It´s in the context of such love that we experience transformation that compels us to make our life and religion, as Bono says, one of love. - Roxanne Robbins

Read
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is : Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Question to Ponder
How can you live so your reputation is one of faith in Jesus and love for Him and others? 
What has God´s love helped you learn about Him and about yourself?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue