Category: thoughts
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Going to the Cross – On Purpose
For us, many things happen by accident. We have flat tires that make us late for work. We have trees that lose branches and knock out windows. We forget our keys, have to call our family, and are late for an appointment. Yet, in the life of our Lord Jesus, the cross was no accident.…
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Following Jesus in Mediocrity?
Mediocrity. When you hear that word, what do you think about? When I think about mediocrity I think about not trying. I think about settling for less because it is easier. When I think about my relationships, especially my relationship with God, I don’t want to be mediocre. Paul says, Therefore if you have been…
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Be Gracious
In our culture we hear people lament that there isn’t enough civility. Is it possible that in order to get our messages out we have chosen passion and lost graciousness? I personally think it is time to bring graciousness back. What is graciousness? Graciousness is simply responding to people with intentional grace. Paul says, Conduct…
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What Makes Grace Profound?
Grace. There are two important questions this word should bring to our minds. 1) What is it? and 2) Why do I need it? This week I spent some time with the encounter Jesus had with the woman who was supposedly caught in the very act of adultery. This encounter is a lived out picture…
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Character… When No One is Looking
There is an old saying – “Character is what you do when no one is looking.” It was popularized by the man who wrote God’s Little Instruction Book. Henry Ford used a version of it when, speaking about quality, said, “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” The question comes, what do…
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That God is Sovereign Matters
What does it mean to you to say that God is in control? Is that something that gives you confidence, or is it something that makes you confused? In God’s Word the sovereignty of God is the underlying assumption of every act of faith. With the exception of extreme suffering, the faithful saw God’s sovereignty…
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Not Pray? That’s Silly!
Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. – R. A. Torrey That’s a cool quote, isn’t it? When I read that, I get a picture in my head of the colossal power that is ready to be used when we just ask for it. I see God…
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Why are We Waiting?
Have you decided to do something and after you did it asked, “Why did I wait so long?” It’s a common experience. It happens when we’ve delayed something out of convenience or fear. When we finally force ourselves to do that ‘thing’ we find that we shouldn’t have delayed it. Do we ever do that…
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When in Pain, What Do We Do?
A few years ago, I fell while skiing with my family. I just clobbered my shoulder. I thought that I might need rotator cuff surgery to repair what I injured. During the first week I had quite a bit of pain. How I responded to that pain reminded me of what I have seen other…
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Do we treat salvation like a gift or work?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3) There is a word in these verse that tells us what salvation is all about.…
Pastor John D Jakes 