Darkened Glass Reflections
Living today with an eye on eternity
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Obeying God—1 Samuel 15:22–23
To obey God is better than sacrifice—or evangelism, or serving in the church, or worship, or prayer, or reading the Bible, or tithing, or fasting, or anything else we say we are doing for God. To wilfully disobey God defiles the sacrifice or ministry. To do your own thing and ask God to bless it…
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The Prodigal Son—Luke 15:11–32
God is more concerned with who we are than with what we can accomplish. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, both sons made the same mistake. They had a perspective on their relationship with their father that completely contradicted the father’s perspective. As a result, they missed out on much of what their father…
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A New Heart, A New Life—Ezekiel 36:25–27
Part of growing in a relationship with Christ is recognizing what He has done for and in us and trusting Him to do His perfect work in us. At the same time, we have to recognize when the “old me” is popping up again. The old me can take many forms. It can be outright…
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The War Within—Galatians 5:16–18
There is no easy formula for walking in the Spirit. It can best be summarized like this: You have been born again as a child of God; now live like a child of God. Remember who you are, and Who lives with you and in you. Most importantly, when you have strayed from God’s best…
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Godly Sorrow—2 Corinthians 7:10
St. Paul contrasted two kinds of sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7. The King James Version refers to one of them as “godly sorrow” (or, as the NASB puts it, “sorrow according to the will of God”) which produces a true repentance leading unto salvation. “The sorrow of the world,” on the other hand, leads to…
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The Two Sides of Discipleship—Luke 10:38–42
When a Mary rises from the feet of Jesus and brings His presence into the world by serving others like Martha would, discipleship is complete.
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Cheap Grace or Transforming Grace?
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
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All Have Sinned—Romans 3:21–25
Several of my recent posts have addressed the believer’s need for confession and repentance. These do not tell the full story of salvation. However, they lay a firm foundation for one to come to faith in Jesus Christ. True Christian faith must begin from the perspective expressed in Romans 3:23—“all have sinned and fall short…
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Endure to the End—Matthew 24:9-14
Do not grow discouraged. Yes, we live in difficult times. Lawlessness is rampant: In our culture, in our government, and even in the church. Persecution seems to be creeping in, even in the “land of the free and home of the brave.” Christians have probably never been more marginalized in America than they are now.…
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Repentance Brings God Joy—Luke 15:7
It does not matter how far you have wandered, or in what kind of mire you have soiled your soul. Forgiveness is available. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is seeking you. Run into His arms for protection and preservation. He is looking for a reason to celebrate.
Darkened Glass Reflections 