More Than Words...

One morning, as I was reflecting and reading, my attention was drawn to these disturbing verses near the end of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  - Matthew 7:21 (ESV) Jesus isn't addressing those who criticize Him, but rather individuals who seem to follow Him—those who speak positively about Him and minister in His name. They engage in impressive activities: "Prophesy in your name" - Warning others and calling for obedience, sometimes revealing future events. "Cast out demons in your name" - Liberating people from spiritual bondage.  "Do many mighty works in your name" - Performing good and miraculous deeds. These actions resemble the ministry of prophets in the Old Testament and what we see from Jesus and His apostles. While one might think these acts fulfill God's will, Jesus responds in a shocking ...

I’ve come to realize that I’m something of an expert in one area of life.  I'm not being arrogant, it is just true and it’s not really something to brag about.   I am an expert in sinning.  I am a sinner.  I may not hold that title as my primary identity anymore, but I know what sinning is.  I’ve had plenty of practice, both in secret and in public, for all to see.  I sin.  I’m not proud of this, but let's be honest, I’ve sinned throughout my entire life, and so have you.   When I first believed in Jesus, I was just a little boy, only 5years old, which means that I have sinned in my life more as a Christian than a non-Christian.  Think about that for a moment, because you may have been a Christian for a long time, yet you still wrestle with sinful patterns and attitudes.    Welcome to the club.  As a sinner, I can tell you that sin is more than just breaking God’s law.   The root of all our sin begins in our...