Daily Thought: Use of a Hammer

The use of a hammer, as many tools, by design takes many swings--many repetitive motions to get the job done. In rare circumstance will you swing a hammer once and complete your task. Instead, you swing again and again until you have pierced a surface with the full length of a nail.

So it is with sin. We all may wish that sin could be defeated and thrown out of our lives in a snap--that we could turn from it cold-turkey style. But the more we live, the more we are able to accept that that's just not the way God designed life. Killing a sinful habit takes fleeing time and time again. Putting a sinful trap out of our life takes taking the hammer to sinful opportunities and desires again and again.

So don't give up, soldier. Don't lose hope in a battle that's already been won by the nails in our risen Savior's hands. He has won it--He has provided everything you need to win.

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence..." ~2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

Recommended Resources

This little book is an easy read for the not-easy things of life such as: Remembering the Gospel daily, escaping condemnation, being free from the paralyzing bondage of guilt. This is among my favorite read-and reread books!

Daily Thought: Mistreatment

We, as Christians, can, by grace, withstand any kind of mistreatment because:

1. There was no one more unrightly and horribly mistreated than the Son of God (Jesus)
2. We (all people) are the one Who mistreated and killed Him
3. He has forgiven us the greatest debt that will ever exist, the one we earned by killing His Son.

Therefore, our reaction to harsh bosses, unruly family members, persecutors, and the unkind should be distinctly different from the world.

Recommended Resources

Daily Thought: Shunning

"The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost."

~1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV)

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"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Christ Himself came to associate with those who were most against Him and least likely to be labeled saints. Biblically, then, we have no justification for the self-righteous sunning of an unbeliever--any of them.

And let us not forget the next part of that Verse, "of whom I am the worst." This reveals to us one thing: We are those people--most against Him and least likely to be labeled saints. He has saved even us. Thank goodness.