I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
The Way of Life
The letter from James, found in the New Testament, is overflowing with practical wisdom for our daily lives. James was the brother of Jesus, and his writings are full of teachings similar to how Jesus taught in the Gospels.
James 4:17 provides us with a very simple definition of sin. James says that sin is when we know what we ought to do and we do not do it. It’s when we have knowledge of what's right, but we deliberately choose not to do it.
There are many ways that we learn what the right thing to do is. When we read Scripture, we are constantly learning how God wants us to live, and what He wants us to do with our lives. We also have the Holy Spirit within us who guides and teaches us.
We have no excuse for not knowing the right thing to do in almost every situation—because God has told us how He's designed things to work and how we should act. So when we decide not to live according to God’s ways, we are sinning.
But the beauty of the gospel is that when we sin against God, we can still come to Him and confess our sins. God’s Word says that when we confess our sins to God, He is faithful to forgive us—and He doesn’t count our sins against us.
Take some time to think about an area where you know you’re not following God’s best for your life. Confess your sin to God and ask Him for forgiveness. Then, walk in the assurance that God loves you, has forgiven you, and provided a way for you to walk in the newness of life. Thank Him for His faithfulness today!
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...
