Topic > Christian Beliefs > Salvation > Forgiveness >
Our Guilt Is Gone
As a young girl, I invited a friend to browse with me through a gift shop near my home. She shocked me, though, by shoving a handful of colorful crayon-shaped barrettes into my pocket and yanking me out the door of the shop without paying for them. Guilt gnawed at me for a week before I approached my mom—my confession pouring out as quickly as my tears.
Grieved over my bad choice of not resisting my friend, I returned the stolen items, apologized, and vowed never to steal again. The owner told me never to come back. But because my mom…
Giving God the Glory or Using His Name in Vain?
Some nights ago, I dreamed of *Kate, a friend whom I hadn’t talked to in over 10 years. I woke up in shock and had a hard time getting back to sleep. This thought kept me awake for a long time, because Kate was someone I had deeply hurt in my teens.
Forgiven!
My friend Norm Cook sometimes had a surprise for his family when he arrived home from work. He would walk through the front door, and shout, “You’re forgiven!” It wasn’t that family members had wronged him and needed his forgiveness. He was reminding them that though they doubtless had sinned throughout the day, they were […]
Beyond Labels
A church in my city has a unique welcome card that captures the love and grace of God for everyone. It says, “If You Are A . . . saint, sinner, loser, winner”—followed by many other terms used to describe struggling people—“alcoholic, hypocrite, cheater, fearful, misfit . . . . You are welcome here.” One of the pastors told me, “We read the card aloud together in our worship services every Sunday.”
How often we accept labels and allow them to define who we are. And how easily we assign them to others. But God’s grace defies labels because it is…
The Day I Forgave My Abusive Father
I used to hate my father. In my eyes, he was a compulsive gambler, a hypocrite and someone not worthy of being a father.
Time to Flourish
Last spring I decided to cut down the rose bush by our back door. In the three years we’d lived in our home, it hadn’t produced many flowers, and its ugly, fruitless branches were now creeping in all directions.
But life got busy, and my gardening plan got delayed. It was just as well—only a few weeks later that rose bush burst into bloom like I’d never seen before. Hundreds of big white flowers, rich in perfume, hung over the back door, flowed into our yard, and showered the ground with beautiful petals.
My rose bush’s revival reminded me of Jesus’s parable…
Who do you think you are?
“Who do you think you are?” That’s a question the people ask Jesus in Mark chapter 2. And today on Discover the Word, the team continues their series titled, “Why, Jesus?” Join them at the table as they uncover who Jesus revealed Himself to be while challenging our ideas in the process. Listen today to Discover […]
Rings and Grace
When I look at my hands, I am reminded that I lost my wedding and engagement rings. I was multitasking as I packed for a trip, and I still have no idea where they ended up.
I dreaded telling my husband about my careless mistake—worried how the news would affect him. But he responded with more compassion and care for me than concern over the rings. However, there are times when I still want to do something to earn his grace! He, on the contrary, doesn’t hold this episode against me.
So many times we remember our sins and feel we must…
The Beauty of Brokenness
Kintsugi is a centuries old Japanese art of mending broken pottery. Gold dust mixed with resin is used to reattach broken pieces or fill in cracks, resulting in a striking bond. Instead of trying to hide the repair, the art makes something beautiful out of brokenness.
The Bible tells us that God also values our brokenness, when we are genuinely sorry for a sin we have committed. After David engaged in adultery with Bathsheba and plotted the death of her husband, the prophet Nathan confronted him, and he repented. David’s prayer afterwards gives us insight into what God desires when we…
Bring your mistakes to Jesus
Mistakes happen. And most often mistakes have consequences. But as we’ll see today on Discover the Word, mistakes don’t have to define us. It’s a part of the discussion of the series titled, “Bring It to Jesus.” You’re invited to receive the amazing restoration that Jesus provides when you bring it to Jesus, today, on […]
Bring your desperation to Jesus
Have you ever been so panicked that you felt like you couldn’t breathe? Today on Discover the Word, the team picks back up on the series titled, “Bring It to Jesus.” The discussion is on how we can bring everything to Jesus, especially our desperation. Listen today to Discover the Word!
How A Preacher I Didn’t like Convicted me
“But if not for the grace of God, I am finished!” said the speaker at my church one Sunday.
The Power of the Cross
Bill Crowder presents the centurion’s perspective on the crucifixion of Christ to encourage a deeper understanding of its significance and power to change lives.
Why Forgive?
When a friend betrayed me, I knew I would need to forgive her, but I wasn’t sure that I could. Her words pierced deeply inside me, and I felt stunned with pain and anger. Although we talked about it and I told her I forgave her, for a long time whenever I’d see her I felt tinges of hurt, so I knew I still clung to some resentment. One day, however, God answered my prayers and gave me the ability to let go completely. I was finally free.
Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith, with our Savior extending…
Have I taken God for granted?
I’m back in court again. No, not that one. This one is an internal court of conflicting thoughts and feelings about my faith and my actions.
