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Lost in the Maze of Me

By Scott Hubbard — 4 months ago

In the end, self-examination, like all means of God’s grace, is just that: a means. Understanding ourselves holds almost no value if we remain preoccupied with ourselves. But if we allow what we see of ourselves to lead us somewhere else, to preoccupy us with Christ, then introspection will become one more servant of our joy in him. We do not pore over our souls simply to see our illnesses, but so we might show the Great Physician where we need him to lay his healing hands and bestow his benediction of peace.

Christian introspection can feel a little like walking into a broad and intricate maze. Entering the maze is easy enough, but so is getting lost within it. Your sense of direction slips. Promising paths of thought take unexpected and distressing turns. Dead ends abound.
If we want to live safely in this world, then we will need at least some of the self-knowledge that comes from introspection (we might also call it self-examination). “Pay attention to yourselves,” our Lord Jesus told his disciples (Luke 17:3). “Keep a close watch on yourself,” Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:16). “Keep your heart with all vigilance,” the wise man counsels (Proverbs 4:23). So we enter the maze of self for good reason.
Yet anyone who has seriously embarked upon this path of self-knowledge knows how many holes and pits, how many crossroads and mistaken turns, how many briars and thorns line the way. And some Christians, inward and scrupulous by nature, know what it’s like to get lost in that maze for long stretches of time.
Our Lord calls us to look within. Yet alongside healthy introspection are a dozen dangers and dead ends — paths that will yield not more self-knowledge but rather more anxiety, insecurity, distraction, and fear. As we consider the maze before us, then, we would do well to remember some common ways introspection goes wrong.
Dead End 1: Endless Introspection
For some Christians, introspection is less a spiritual practice and more a spiritual atmosphere. They don’t so much visit the maze as live there. These believers often live with split attention — one part of them talking, working, resting, worshiping, the other part standing back and assessing their talking, working, resting, worshiping.
We might find ourselves engaging in endless introspection for several reasons. Maybe we imagine that we really can know ourselves comprehensively if we just look long enough. So, we assess and reassess, guess and second-guess, analyze and scrutinize as if just a little more looking might unmask our inner selves. We may leave little room for Paul’s modest self-awareness (1 Corinthians 4:3–4) or prayers like David’s in Psalm 19:12: “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.”
Probably more often, endless introspection is less intentional. We don’t decide to analyze ourselves so much; we just reflexively find ourselves doing so. The power of this vague, atmospheric self-analysis lies partly in the fact that it can feel productive and obedient. Jesus tells us to watch ourselves; we’re watching. Or so we think. But as with a preoccupied father who feels productive while mentally solving work problems at the dinner table, endless introspection usually distracts us from plainer, more important obedience.
God may command us to look within, but these commands hold a small place among the whole, just a sliver of the pie chart. Far more often, God commands us to look upward and outward — to Christ (Hebrews 12:2), to heaven (Colossians 3:1–4), to the people beside us and the wonders around us and the gifts before us (Matthew 6:26; Philippians 2:3; 4:8). “Love God” and “love neighbor” are our most crucial callings — and continual self-scrutiny undermines both.
So, instead of stumbling around in a maze of thoughts, introspect with intention. Aim to enter this maze with a prayer and a plan, with a clear beginning and end. And even if intrusive thoughts keep tempting you inward, dare to remember that the obedience God expects of you usually lies outward.
Dead End 2: One-Eyed Introspection
Self-examination sometimes gets construed as simply a sin search or idol hunt: we look within to trace our guilt to its buried roots. Granted, Scripture’s calls to introspection often do focus on finding the troublesome parts about ourselves — “any grievous way in me,” as David says (Psalm 139:24).
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The Precious Cure for Our Terrible Disease

By J.C Ryle — 4 months ago

Written by J. C. Ryle |
Sunday, October 27, 2024
It is the blood of Christ, not His example only, or His beautiful moral teaching, but His vicarious sacrifice that meets the wants of the soul. No wonder that Peter calls it “precious.” Precious it has been found by the heathen abroad, and by the peer and the peasant at home…

What is the only remedy for our terrible spiritual disease? What will cleanse us from the guilt of sin? What will bring health and peace to our poor dead hearts, and enable us to walk with God while we live, and dwell with God when we die?
To these questions I give a short but unhesitating reply. For the one universal soul-disease of all Adam’s children there is only one remedy. That remedy is “the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). To the blood of Adam we owe the beginning of our deadly spiritual ailment. To the blood of Christ alone must we all look for a cure.
When I speak of the “blood of Christ,” my readers must distinctly understand that I do not mean the literal material blood which flowed from His hands and feet and side as He hung on the cross. That blood, I doubt not, stained the fingers of the soldiers who nailed our Lord to the tree; but there is not the slightest proof that it did any good to their souls. If that blood were really in the Communion cup at the Lord’s Supper, and we touched it with our lips, such mere corporeal touch would avail us nothing.
Oh no! When I speak of the “blood” of Christ as the cure for the deadly ailment which we all inherit from the blood of Adam, I mean the life-blood which Christ shed, and the redemption which Christ obtained for sinners when He died for them on Calvary — the salvation which He procured for us by His vicarious sacrifice — the deliverance from the guilt and power and consequences of sin, which He purchased when He suffered as our Substitute.
This and this only is what I mean when I speak of “Christ’s blood” as the one medicine needed by all Adam’s children. The thing that we all need to save us from eternal death is not merely Christ’s incarnation and life, but Christ’s death. The atoning “blood” which Christ shed when He died is the grand secret of salvation. It is the blood of the second Adam suffering in our stead, which alone can give life or health and peace to all who have the first Adam’s blood in their veins.
A Vital Doctrine in Our Squeamish Age
I can find no words to express my deep sense of the importance of maintaining in our Church the true doctrine of the blood of Christ. One plague of our age is the widespread dislike to what men are pleased to call dogmatic theology. In the place of it, the idol of the day is a kind of jelly-fish Christianity —
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The Preciousness of Daily Bread

By Bill Elliff — 4 months ago

Morning by morning, if we look to Him, He will deliver the manna to our door. He provides with tenderness and love and absolute perfection. His timing is always right, often waiting till the midnight hour so we will learn one more lesson that builds our faith and perseverance and gives the watching world a stunning testimony of our Father’s love and faithfulness.

Everyone must eat, and it must be daily. It’s possible to go without food for a while, but it’s not healthy. God has designed us to eat every day.
This is why God’s provision of daily bread is so precious.
Manna in the Wilderness
When God led the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, they quickly ran out of food as they crossed the desert. There were several million in their company, and their immediate response (it always was) was to grumble and complain.
Of course, the Father had a plan. He was leading them, and He leads us in all the right paths for His name’s sake. He used this massive national problem to teach them by providing their daily food in the most precious way.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. (Exodus 16:4)
Every Day Bread
The manna was there every single day for the next 40 years (146,000 days). It was provided the same way each day and precisely in the amount needed.
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Why Satan Wants You to Think You’re Alone

By John Beeson — 4 months ago

When we draw in on ourselves in our anxieties and sin, we play right into the devil’s hand. The enemy’s tactics are simple: separate the struggling from the flock by enticing them to respond to their sin and anxiety on their own, with pride, and not Christ and community.

“I’m sure no one has ever told you this.”
“It’s so bad. You are going to think terrible things about me.”
“Everyone would hate me if they knew what I was thinking.”
“There is no one who loves me for me.”
I’ve heard each of these helpless words from those who sat on the couch in my office. They are raw, vulnerable, and heartbreaking confessions. The words leak their hearts’ crippling loneliness and fears that they are destined to remain alone.
I’ve been there. Discouragement spiraled into depression. I multiplied my angst by entangling myself in sin. I didn’t think anyone would understand. I was too afraid to ask anyone for help. Lies compounded sin.
I remember sitting on the other side, watching my wife Angel slide into depression and then sin. It was debilitating to watch her slip into darkness, and I didn’t know how to get help. I felt frozen. I felt as though there was a piece of me no one could ever understand. It was a lie. But it was a potent lie.
Satan traffics in lies. Jesus hit it on the nose when he called our Enemy “the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). He wants you to believe that God is not good, that you are alone, and that your shame can never be removed. Those are all profound deceptions. In 1 Peter 5:8, we are reminded to “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Don’t be deceived, Peter says; you must fight to stay out of the enemy’s jaws. There is one who intends to destroy you.
How can we fight the enemy’s lies? It’s not an accident that Peter’s admonition to be on guard against Satan comes after his encouragement for elders to shepherd the flock and then a call to humility.
Peter knows a humble and unified flock is a powerful force against Satan’s wiles.
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The Power of the Gospel in Prayer

By Benjamin Glaser — 4 months ago

Our lesson from the Directory of Public Worship regarding prayer is to remind us of something that is central to our faith, and that is that Christ forgives sin. That seems a like an obvious thing to confess, but we often don’t because we don’t really see ourselves as needing forgiveness. We ask for it because we are supposed to. It’s kind of like when your mom used to make you say you were sorry to a sibling or a neighbor. We do it, but don’t mean it. The reason we hesitate is for the same reason we don’t with God, we know we were in the right.

Delivering our sins unto the Lord can be emotionally, mentally, and spiritually draining. Being honest with God can hurt at times. Opening ourselves up to the exposure of our unworthiness to the holy and righteous One takes a lot of trust. Often our heart’s desire is to hide. That’s often what we see even good men do in the Bible. Adam leads Eve to go behind the bushes. Abraham tries to act like he didn’t just lie to Abimelech. Peter swears he won’t deny Jesus. Yet, in the midst of all of this our lesson from the Directory of Public Worship regarding prayer is to remind us of something that is central to our faith, and that is that Christ forgives sin.
That seems a like an obvious thing to confess, but we often don’t because we don’t really see ourselves as needing forgiveness. We ask for it because we are supposed to. It’s kind of like when your mom used to make you say you were sorry to a sibling or a neighbor. We do it, but don’t mean it. The reason we hesitate is for the same reason we don’t with God, we know we were in the right. It is not until men and women comprehend their weakness and like the women with the issue of blood, seek Christ, that we will ever really know what it means to be forgiven ourselves. Part of praying is learning. The DPW calls us to ask Jesus for help in this work.
Let’s read today’s selection:
Notwithstanding all which, to draw near to the throne of grace, encouraging ourselves with hope of a gracious answer of our prayers, in the riches and all-sufficiency of that only one oblation, the satisfaction and intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ, at the right hand of his Father and our Father; and in confidence of the exceeding great and precious promises of mercy and grace in the new covenant, through the same Mediator thereof, to deprecate the heavy wrath and curse of God, which we are not able to avoid, or bear; and humbly and earnestly to supplicate for mercy, in the free and full remission of all our sins, and that only for the bitter sufferings and precious merits of that our only Saviour Jesus Christ.
That the Lord would vouchsafe to shed abroad his love in our hearts by the Holy Ghost; seal unto us, by the same Spirit of adoption, the full assurance of our pardon and reconciliation; comfort all that mourn in Zion, speak peace to the wounded and troubled spirit, and bind up the broken-hearted: and as for secure and presumptuous sinners, that he would open their eyes, convince their consciences, and turn them from darkness unto light.
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What Is Apologetics?

By John M. Frame — 4 months ago

Written by John M. Frame |
Sunday, October 27, 2024
The apologist’s responsibility is to (1) set forth the biblical story rationally and persuasively, (2) answer the objections inquirers will raise against the truth of this story, and (3) challenge the worldview from which those objections come. In all aspects of our discussion we must keep in mind the antithesis between the two worldviews and the need to avoid compromise. But we must also keep in mind that we are sharing good news with precious human beings in God’s image. We should treat them as we would like them to treat us—with gentleness and respect.

The Term Apologetics
The term apologetics has nothing to do with “apologizing” for anything. Typically we think of an apology as an admission of wrongdoing and a request for forgiveness. But presenting an apologetic is almost the very reverse of apologizing. An apologetic is rather a defense of what might appear to be wrong but actually is right. Rather than requesting forgiveness, an apologetic seeks to persuade someone that no forgiveness is needed, despite a wrongful accusation.
The term apologetics is related to the biblical word group apologeomai, apologia, usually translated “defend, defense.” In the NT, the term is used most often by the apostle Paul, when he defends himself against charges brought against him (Acts 22:1; 24:10; 25:8, 16; 26:1–2, 24). To defend himself against these charges, Paul defends the gospel, the good news about Jesus, which is his overall calling, the context of everything he does. Defending his preaching means defending the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why in Philippians 1:7 Paul speaks of his whole apostolic ministry as “the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” It is that defense of the gospel that has landed him in prison (Phil. 1:16).
The Biblical Mandate for Apologetics
Peter generalizes to all believers the obligation to defend the gospel whenever nonbelievers question our faith:
In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense [apologia] to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Pet. 3:15)
This is the biblical mandate for apologetics. Peter says that all believers should be prepared to make a defense. We should note that he places this in two contexts: the context of Christ’s lordship and the context of the inquirer. The first context tells us that apologetics is an act of worship, not just a human conversation but a way of honoring Jesus as Lord. When we get into a discussion of the gospel with an unbeliever, we are often tempted to set Christ aside and focus on the common ground of reason and evidence. But we must never set Christ aside. Even in apologetics, our first responsibility is to please him.
The second context is also important. We are to defend the faith “with gentleness and respect.” Some Christians are attracted to the work of apologetics out of a desire to win a contest. Their purpose is to defeat unbelievers, to devastate them. God, however, calls us to respect them, to convince them gently, and therefore to love them, as Christ first loved us. In apologetics, we are called to image our Lord, not just to talk about him.
In the light of Peter’s mandate, we can define apologetics as the defense of the faith. As a theological science, it is the discipline by which we learn to give reasons for our hope, always honoring Christ and showing love for inquirers.
As such, apologetics is found throughout the Bible, not just in the relatively few passages that use apologeomai and its derivatives. Think of how often Jesus reasons with his Jewish opponents. The prophets and apostles regularly do the same, emulating him. Indeed, God himself reasons with those who question him: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord” (Isa. 1:18).
So the whole content of the Bible is apologetic, for all Scripture is the speech of God, and throughout the Bible God speaks apologetically: he engages in a rational attempt to change the beliefs and behavior of his readers (2 Tim. 3:16–17). And, in all biblical apologetics, God honors his Son as holy and shows gentleness and respect to his readers.
As we seek to learn, then, the art and science of apologetics, the whole Bible will be our text. We shall try to follow the example, not only of Jesus and Paul as they deal with controversy, but of every part of Scripture as it defends its gospel message.
Scripture’s Approach to Apologetics
The Bible’s own apologetic approach can be conveniently divided into three aspects: (1) setting forth the truth with its rationale, (2) giving direct answers to objections, and (3) showing the foolishness of competing messages. We can distinguish these for convenience, but none of them is complete without the other two.
Setting Forth the Truth
The first of these is by far the most common, in which the Bible in various ways describes its message. What makes this description apologetic is that since the Bible is God’s Word, it always sets forth its message clearly and rationally. The story is believable to those who read it with open minds and hearts. But many readers are not open to what it says.
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No Condemnation

By Greg Morse — 4 months ago

“Holy, holy, holy” shook the courtroom as the Judge took his seat, a sight that I can only now liken to the sun ascending his throne at high noon. The proceeding commenced, and the prosecution began their case by calling one Spirit of the Age to bear his testimony on behalf of his business partner, World.

My evening reading that night was Romans 1–8. As the final page fell, sleep seized me, and I drifted into a dream.
I stood outside of a courtroom called Judgment Seat. August and austere, that courthouse appeared to me as the one great destination of all the earth. I entered willingly, though I later wondered if I had any choice.
Inside, demons and angels swarmed. “Judgment,” I overheard one angel say to another, “must begin at the house of God.” I took my seat in the courtroom, although some eyes rested upon me as though I did not truly belong.
Before I could spare the matter another thought, the doors flung open, and silence grabbed each creature by the tongue. Even the malevolent ones, those gods of the nations, were reduced to muffled sneers. The man entered enchained, head fallen, Amartōlos1 his name — though he shuddered to own it. He moved, so it seemed, like a man to his execution. He sat down in his seat — called Shame — with strange willingness, judging by the surprise of one angel behind me, who claimed that most sat down only after a great struggle.
“Holy, holy, holy” shook the courtroom as the Judge took his seat, a sight that I can only now liken to the sun ascending his throne at high noon. The proceeding commenced, and the prosecution began their case by calling one Spirit of the Age to bear his testimony on behalf of his business partner, World.
First Witness: Spirit of the Age
“Judge and jury and good spirits among us,” the spirit began, “I wonder if you have not realized already one who has no true place among the congregation of the righteous.”
At this, I swallowed so hard I thought I heard it echo.
“This man” — pointing at the man they nicknamed Tolos — “oh, how reluctantly do I bear my witness to his disgrace before you, Great and Holy One! I wonder, did you not say in your great book of law that this man ought not to love the world or the things in the world? Indeed, you did. I have it here: ‘Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world’ — and note this next part, good Judge and jury — ‘the love of the Father is not in him.’2 Or, if you’d rather, ‘You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.’3
“The precept is unmistakable, but did this poor villain transgress it? I submit as evidence the first two decades of his life — for the tree must be known by its fruit. Look with the eye of justice, not mercy — ‘Your eye shall not pity him’4 — and you will see ample proof in every word and deed. His whole life flows from one foul source. Unmistakably, he has served a willing slave to the lust of his eyes, the lust of his flesh, and the pride of life.5
“Consider how many varieties of sin lie before you now, sins cataloged by the apostle under divine inspiration: gossip, slander, hating of God, insolence, haughtiness, boasting, disobedience to parents, and even new inventions of evil.6 Look at the criminal — faithless, foolish, heartless, ruthless!7 What could be known about the Most High was plain to him — he knew well enough his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature — but the man neither honored God nor gave him any thanks.8 Instead, he exchanged the glory of the Most High for created things and went into partnership with me and my esteemed colleague here.9 He knew the truth but suppressed it in unrighteousness. Does the defendant deny any of these charges? Should he be true and God a liar?10 Is he not left ‘without excuse’?”11
The eyes of that other world focused on the man, who to them was no older than a boy. Without lifting his head, he stammered, “I have no defense, your Honor. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”12
Second: Accuser of the Brethren
At this, the proceedings might have ended, but the examination continued with a most adept prosecutor given the title Accuser of the Brethren.
“Excellent start, great Spirit. Now, I must state my relations to the defendant from the onset so as not to indulge unjust scales. The man before you is my son; from birth he has been mine, and I most fraternally his. We have the case clearly given in the eternal decrees: ‘Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.’13 Or, a few verses further, the dividing line is drawn even plainer, the chasm more manifest — phanera, if I may quote the original. ‘By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.’14
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Adam the Head

By T.M. Suffield — 4 months ago

Written by T. M. Suffield |
Saturday, October 26, 2024
When we start to run down the roots of removing Adam from the story, what we’re left with isn’t Christianity. I do think this is a hill to die on. If Adam isn’t my head, neither is Christ. Adam is real and Adam’s sin flows to all of us. That one man who knew God was tricked by a snake and brought ruin to everything. There was another man who faced a test in a garden (Mark 14), another man who battled a serpent (Hebrews 4), another man who stood with a woman in a garden at the start of a new creation (John 21). These two men: Adam and the Lord Jesus Christ define history.

Last week I argued that the Bible requires Adam to be the first human and the father of us all. I went through some scriptures that support this, especially Acts 17 and Romans 5.
I argued that the Bible says he is, but also that he has to be to be our federal head. Paul’s argument in Romans 5 (and 1 Corinthians 15) requires it.
To pick up the thread again, I want to argue the other way around: why is it a problem if Adam isn’t my federal head?
The Fall
If Adam is not my representative head, then my fall in Adam becomes a fiction. I’d be on the hook for my own sins, but not born into sin. In which case, presumably I can rescue myself if only I could obey? I pick up this thread below.
If I’ve still fallen in Adam despite not having any connection with him, then instead the fall seems to be applied to me by divine whim with no grounding in reality. It sounds unfair, though I’m wary of that argument as lots of things do that aren’t, but how can I trust my salvation if God is arbitrary and acts on a whim? God is sovereign over all but acts in accordance with his character and the rules of the cosmos. The cosmos is ordered, not wild. Salvation is logical and in accordance with the scriptures.
Instead, my salvation in Christ is real. God is not arbitrary. The fall is not a fiction: I am born with both inherited guilt and inherited pollution and I continue in my father Adam’s footsteps.
Original Sin
If we deny that all are born in Adam, it would, perhaps, be theoretically possible for me to have not sinned and attain righteousness myself. Why then do I need the cross? Perhaps I just need to be good.
This is a strain of what was condemned as Pelagianism in the early church. It doesn’t save but grows our pride. It’s thinking just like Adam’s in the garden. Perhaps I too could be like God. It ends up much the same way.
Instead, I desperately need rescue. I cannot do good without the Spirit as I am turned in on myself. I can be rescued through faith in Christ: his life is purchased for me and I can receive it. In fact, I can’t even fall myself, because all I have is gift.
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Context Matters: The Fruit of the Spirit

By Ryan Higginbottom — 4 months ago

The fruit of the Spirit are not a magical collection of good behaviors or character traits. Rather, they are what the Holy Spirit brings about in those who believe the true gospel—those who have been justified by faith, those who have the Spirit of adoption as sons, those who “belong to Christ Jesus” and “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24). Context matters.

Perhaps you’ve heard about the fruit of the Spirit. You may have learned about them or taught them at Vacation Bible School, and you might even know a catchy song that helps you remember what comes after love, joy, and peace.
Many people know that the famous fruit of the Spirit come from the book of Galatians. But we rarely connect these Christian qualities to the message of Paul’s letter. Why was this list written to these specific Christians?
Context matters. Every word in the Bible was written in a historical moment and for a purpose. When we learn to read the Bible and honor the way it was written in time, we’ll see that some of its most familiar, musical verses have more depth than we have thought.
The Immediate Context
Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)
The larger section in most Bibles is Galatians 5:16–26. Paul urges the Galatians to “walk by the Spirit” so that they “will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). He describes how the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are opposed to each other. Immediately before the fruit of the Spirit, Paul lists “the works of the flesh,” which are “evident.”
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)
We clearly must not take these sins lightly!
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Our One Solid Relationship

By Kyle E. Sims — 4 months ago

Written by Kyle E. Sims |
Saturday, October 26, 2024
The primary relationship must be with the Lord. It must be in Jesus who has a steadfast love for you. Jesus who by the gospel proved His love for you. Jesus watches over you and keeps you. Jesus loves you perfectly. It is from a relationship with Jesus that you then can love others in their imperfections and sin.

Gospel ministry focuses on relationships. In ministry, we proclaim the truth of Christ’s gospel that restores our vertical relationship with God and transforms how we live with others in the church and the world. You must have more than a head knowledge of the gospel. The gospel should transform your life from the inside out. The gospel causes you to love God and love man.
The Lord is faithful in upholding His end of our relationship. He has a steadfast love for His People. He is always working for their good. He never slumbers and His eye never blinks in His watching over them. We may stray away due to sin and weakness, but He always brings us back. The Lord is good and can be trusted not to fail us.
We expect people in the world to fail us. They are slaves to sin and self-focused. However, one of the greatest pains we experience is when Christians fail us. This can happen at many levels. Unthinking remarks that are sharp and cut, being left out of the group or having an exchange with someone having a bad day. We face these things every day even with Christians. Most of the time we can let these roll off in love. Yet there are other times when those in the church hurt us deeply.
Many know the pain of pouring into fellow believers in our church, only to have them leave over something petty. What you thought to be a strong relationship was broken in an instant. These actions sting us. When leaders fail it is even worse. Here are the men who are called to lead the church. Yet they choose their sin over the gospel and they abandon the church and their vows.
There is a great dilemma in loving as a Christian. You are called to love the church and to love others as yourself.
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