Topic: Sin

You won’t coast your way to spiritual victory… If you don’t have a plan, you are not setting priorities, choosing relationships & growing intentionally… you’re dead. We are either killing sin or being killed by it.

The world cannot take away what the world cannot give. The world cannot take away what it cannot give to us. The world cannot take away deep rich promises because the world cannot give deep rich promises. The world can’t take away your security, the world can’t take away your peace because the world cannot give security, and the world cannot give peace. It can’t take away this hope that serves as an anchor for our souls, because this world was never designed to give us hope. Not that kind of hope. The world can’t take away what the world can’t give. And you can’t lose what only Jesus gives. He gives life, you can’t lose it. Love, freedom, joy, salvation, you can’t lose it. He gives peace. He gives promises you can’t lose. He gives assurance you cannot lose. What Jesus gives Jesus, the Rescuer of His people, gives hope. The world can’t take that away. What the world can’t give, and you can’t lose only Jesus gives. This is the story of Christmas, the hope of Christmas. It’s not a feeling. It’s not a desire. Hope is a person. He is Jesus the Rescuer, the Savior of His people.

If you ever get fed up with you. And if you ever get fed up with something that seems to control you. If you ever get fed up with the self-destruction that you bring on yourself and the self-destructive habits that destroy the relationships that are most important to you. Christmas is a standing invitation from your Father in heaven. You have been invited into a relationship where sin no longer has to be your master, because you’re not under law, you’re under grace. You are a candidate for the gift of Christmas.

We live in a world where the world treats poison—sin—as sweetener. And God’s perspective is: it’s poison.

Everything that matters to you matters to God. There is no detail that is too small. I’m not saying that it matters to God as much as it matters to you. It matters to you. It matters to God. But listen, if you’ll trust God with the things that matter to you, He’ll trust you with the things that matter to Him.

You don’t have to fall into temptation. You don’t have to take the bait. You don’t have to … let selfish desires dominate your life and undo your marriage, your family, your friendships, business, your relationship with God.. You don’t have to.

Grace doesn’t compare. Because Grace in Jesus is always married to truth. And the truth is: we have all fallen short of God’s standard.

Grace is not fair.  It is better than fair!

Because GOD separated death from Jesus, life with GOD can never be separated from you.