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Thursday, March 17, 2011

You are more sinful than you can believe, but you are more loved than you can imagine.

Outside of conservative Christian circles, it's not very common for people to believe that they are inherently bad. Instead, people's logic often goes like this: Sure, I occasionally do bad things, but at heart I'm a good person.

Although it may be tempting to give yourself credit as being a good (or, in Biblical lingo, righteous) person at heart, such a view of human nature is at odds with what God reveals in his word. God makes it very clear that every one of us is "bad." We don't just do bad things; we are bad.

The Apostle Paul exclaims that because of our sin every one of us falls short of God's radiant splendor and glory Romans 3:23. None of us are good—that is, righteous (Romans 3:10).

Our unrighteousness is not due to the fact that we break God's commands. Instead, we are unrighteous because we are "in Adam," to borrow the language of Paul in Romans 5. Even people who did not sin by breaking a command still died because they were by nature sinners (Romans 5:14).

The bad news is that you're sinful by nature. Even if you lived your whole life without breaking a single command of God you'd still reap death. The bad news is probably worse than you may care to admit.

Fortunately, that makes the good news better than you had imagined. Despite your sinful nature, God offers the life of his very son for you (Romans 5:8-10). God doesn't owe you anything, but he gives you everything. That's love.

Your sin is placed on Christ, and Christ's righteousness is placed on you. You gain what he deserved—life—and he gains what you deserved—death. How great is the love God lavishes on us! (1 John 3:1)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.

We should not worry about the future, because our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15). In other words, God will give you what you need when you need it.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Jesus repeatedly tells us not to worry:"Do not worry about tomorrow" (Matthew 6:34).

Again, Jesus emphasized that God loves and cares for us, and we therefore should not worry about our life: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"(Matthew 6:25-27).

Although you don't know what God has in store for you, be assured that He has a good plan for your life (see Romans 8:28). Because He has such a good plan for you, there is no need to worry about life. Although you don't know what tomorrow holds, you have the opportunity to know the one who holds tomorrow!