Dig a Little Deeper

  Sin is a very real struggle in believers' lives. The more we grow in our faith, the more we become aware of the sin within us.  While we may try to fight our sin, ultimately we come to a point in which we realize that we are unable to live up to God's standards of righteousness. The only hope we have is Jesus Christ.  Through his cross we are forgiven and justified, and through his life we are given his standard of perfection. Through his ascension we are given the Holy Spirit who not only reveals sin, but empowers us to stand against it. Awareness Our struggle with sin begins with our awareness of it in our lives. Mankind is prone to remain ignorant of God's standards in order to excuse our disobedience. We believe that as long as we are unaware that what we are doing is sin, we are able to continue in it without consequence. But as any law enforcement, lawyer, or judge will tell you: ignorance is no excuse of the law. Therefore, it ultimately does us no good to play i...

  Because of Adam's failure, we all stand guilty of sin before God. Each one of us are sinners both by nature and by choice, rejecting God's command and living in rebellion to him. In Romans 5, Paul tells us that death entered the world through sin, and that death spread to all men because all have sinned. There are real consequences for our sin. Adam Brings Death The root of our problem is sin. Broken relationships are first seen when Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and hid from God and each other. Today, we see a lot of hurt in our world because of broken homes and shattered families. The first murder is traced back to Genesis 4 when Cain murdered Abel. Today we see conflict that leads to death from murder to war. There are riots and crime that have entered into the world through sin. The list can go on. The true source of everything we go through ties back to sin in the garden. We even make this problem worse as we are sinners by choice. We don't just see a broke ...

  We are only able to truly love because God pours his love into us.  As we look to the cross, we see true, sacrificial love. Jesus was God incarnate who left his throne to be executed on a cross for people who hated him. He truly gave of himself in order to demonstrate his love. who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 Loving as Christ Loved The challenge from Scripture is that we love in the same way. This does not necessarily mean that we endure a cross, but it means we put others before ourselves.  How do you display your love? Christ displayed his on the cross. You and I are called to show our love to the people around us through our actions rather than simply through words. By this we know love...

  God's promises are true. When he promised Noah that he would never flood the entire world again, he has been faithful to carry it out. Every time we see a rainbow in the sky, we are reminded that his promises are true. When he promised Abraham that all the nations in the world would be blessed through him, he faithfully carried out that promise in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Rest God's righteousness (his standard of perfection) has been revealed apart from the law. We are able to fulfill all the requirements for righteousness by submitting to Jesus Christ.  You and I don't have to work to achieve this perfect standard. Christ achieved it for us, and God imputes Christ's righteousness on us. As a result, we can rest from our efforts and trust in what Jesus has done. Devotion Because we rest on his promises, we can be encouraged that God wants our hearts. Although we fall short, he has given us Christ's righteousness. All he asks for is a life devoted to hi...