Jesus: The Gift of God's Grace
If we lived in that first century and met someone like Jesus, it would take our breath away. As Christmas arrives, we think of the great blessing that is ours because of Jesus. This charming grace.
If we lived in that first century and met someone like Jesus, it would take our breath away. As Christmas arrives, we think of the great blessing that is ours because of Jesus. This charming grace.
Boredom is the real danger we face when we approach the Christmas story. It’s so familiar, our minds just hit the highlights, because we think we’ve already plumbed the depths of every detail. But if we could approach the nativity as if we’ve never read it before, we’d discover something new and exciting—we’d discover the birth of Jesus is a gift too wonderful for words.
God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is indeed a gift too wonderful for words. And it’s the best gift you’ll ever receive.
In this world of habitual lying, false stories, and deceitful people, there is nothing that will give you the security you need like God’s Word and the Son of God Himself. Stay committed to the Bible and by doing so, you learn more and more what’s true.
From 2 Corinthians 12:2–10, Pastor Chuck Swindoll extracts Paul’s lessons and concludes that God’s grace is not only sufficient, but His power works best in weakness!
Paul called his disability “a thorn in my flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). The downside of this “thorn” was the awful torment it brought. The benefit was that it kept Paul from being self-sufficient. The pain he endured forced him away from self-serving pride and toward an all-important discovery: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (12:10).
Strength in weakness—sounds like an oxymoron. However, when you are weak it is possible to be strong, just as Paul says in 2 Corinthians.
Tragic situations are transformed when God steps in. And He takes the most (seemingly) insignificant things to transform. Underdogs become overcomers, weaknesses turn into strengths, and obstacles are nothing but opportunities that launch significant events.
God does His best work in you after you’ve exhausted your own strength. He doesn’t use “super-strong” people. He uses the inadequate and ill equipped, “...for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Sexual promiscuity is neither new nor novel. It is as old as humanity, always promising more than it can deliver. More palatable words have replaced the obsolete and ugly ones. Inviting terms cause the ugliness of illicit sex to be veiled in mystery, fascination, and excitement.