In weighing our sins let us not use a deceitful balance, weighing at our own discretion what we will, and how we will, calling this heavy and that light:  but let us use the divine balance of the holy Scriptures, as taken from the treasury of the Lord, and by it weigh every offence, nay, not weigh, but rather recognize what has been already weighed by the Lord.–Augustine of Hippo

Sin is not weakness, it is a disease; it is red-handed rebellion against God and the magnitude of that rebellion is expressed by Calvary’s cross.—Oswald Chambers

We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. . .But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of sin.  The guilt is washed out not by time but by repentance and the blood of Christ.—C.S. Lewis

Looking at the wound of sin will never save anyone.  What you must do is look at the remedy.—D.L. Moody

By nature I was too blind to know Him, too proud to trust Him, too obstinate to serve Him, too base-minded to love Him.—John Newton

Any time we attempt to meet our own needs or accomplish anything without God, we sin and set ourselves up for failure.—Charles F. Stanley

Spiritual inactivity corrodes the soul.

1 Timothy 6:11-16

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness–1 Timothy 6:11

Spiritual inactivity corrodes the soul like moisture acting on metal.  Paul urged Timothy, his young protege, to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (1 Tim. 6:11).  This command had no expiration date attached to it.  The spiritual disciplines require continued attention throughout our lives.  If rest becomes our goal, then rust is right behind.

Oswald Chambers said:  “The intellect works with the greatest intensity when it works continuously; the more you do, the more you can do.  We must work hard to keep in trim for God.  Clean off the rust and keep bright by use.”

Our capabilities may vary with age, but pursuing the righteous life to which God has called us should never end.  Don’t rust out!

–David McCasland

When you open your heart to the Savior, He opens your mind to His Word.

Psalm 131

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother.—Ps. 131.2

Our heart is the place where God meets and relates to us personally.  It’s where He allows us to respond to His correction.  Spending time in His Word and in prayer opens the door for Him to interact with us at the deepest levels of our need and gives Him opportunities to comfort and convict.  As we open our hearts to Him, He fans the flame of an intimate, life-changing relationship.

Authentic Christianity is the inside-out expression of this dynamic relationship with Jesus that provides the strength to live for His glory—regardless of what is happpening on the outside!–Joe Stowell

Speak, O blessed Master,

In this quiet hour;

Let me see Thy face, Lord,

Feel Thy touch of power.–Grimes

by C.S. Lewis

“What are we to make of Christ?”  There is no question of what we can make of Him, it is entirely a question of what He intends to make of us.  You must accept or reject the story.

The things He says are very different from what any other teacher has said.  Others say, “This is the truth about the Universe.  This is the way you ought to go,” but He says, “I am the Truth, and the Way, and the Life.”  He says, “No man can reach absolute reality, except through Me.  Try to retain your own life and you will be inevitably ruined.  Give yourself away and you will be saved.”  He says, “If you are ashamed of Me, if, when you hear this call, you turn the other way, I also will look the other way when I come again as God without disguise.  If anything whatever is keeping you from God and from Me, whatever it is, throw it away.  If it is your eye, pull it out.  If it is your hand, cut it off.  If you put yourself first you will be last.  Come to Me everyone who is carrying a heavy load, I will set that right.  Your sins, all of them, are wiped out, I can do that.  I am Re-birth, I am Life.  Eat Me, drink Me, I am your Food.  And finally, do not be afraid, I have overcome the whole Univers.”  That is the issue.

 God in the Dock, “What Are We to Make of Christ?” 1950, p. 160

I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!—Esther 4:16

The book of Esther tells [a] story of love, sacrifice, and God’s timing. Mordecai, a Jew in exile, refused to bow to Haman, second in command to King Ahasuerus. Haman became furious and plotted to destroy Mordecai and all the Jews. So Haman deceived the king and persuaded him to issue an edict condemning the Jews to deth. When Mordecai told his cousin Queen Esther about the edict, he urged her to intervene. “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” he said (v.14). Approaching the king uninvited was punishable by death. But Esther seized the moment to save her people!

When we are able to rescue others, we should do so at all costs. Ask God for His direction and act! He may have placed you here “for such a time as this.”—Marvin Williams

Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.–1 Cor. 13:13

Comedian Henny Youngman used to say, “I’ve got two wonderful children—and two out of five isn’t bad.”

When children reach adulthood, most parents have an opinion about how their offspring have “turned out.” Some are proud of everything their kids have done, while other parents express misgivings or disappointment about the choices their children have made. How can we continue a positive parenting role after the birds have left our nest?

In 1 Corinthians 13, often called “the love chapter” of the Bible, Paul writes that the greatest gifts of speaking, understanding, and sacrificial service are worthless without love (vv.1-3). Love itself is the foundation of winsome behavior, and its influence never ends. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (vv.4-8).

When our children no longer seek our advice, they still value our love. In every stage of parenting, it’s not only what we say but what we do that counts.—David McCasland

He made us accepted in the Beloved.—Ephesians 1:6

By God’s design, each of us is an absolutely unique person, a Christ-redeemed human being who can never be replaced or duplicated.

Do you condemn yourself because you aren’t as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking the gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service? We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, [and] the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7). We are accepted and chosen by Him (vv.4-6).

If the Lord has accepted us, surely we can accept ourselves! That’s the liberating truth.—Vernon Grounds

A man of understanding is of a calm spirit.—Proverbs 17:27

Quarrels among believers in Jesus Christ bring dishonor to Him. They create wounds in our brothers and sisters, leaving scars. “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel,” says Proverbs 20:3. And “He who has knowledge spares his words” (17:27).

How much better it is when we speak gentle words of peace, not angry words of strife!—Dave Egner

Through love serve one another.—Galatians 5:13

The apostle Paul encouraged the Christians of Galatia: “Through love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). Some of them believed that the ceremonial practices of the Old Testament were still binding on the church. Paul wrote that salvation is by grace through faith. It is by faith we live out our new life in Christ. He reminded them that the law was fulfilled in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v.14).

As followers of Jesus, we’re here to serve Him out of love—to “bless God for blessing us.”—Anne Cetas