Jesus told a woman accused of sin “to go and sin no more”. Although I would like everyone to go and sin no more, I almost wish that Jesus had never said that particular phrase because it can give the impression of a demand on us to keep ourselves sinless. It’s often given as a reason for us to continue preaching about sin.

Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets.  I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. – Matthew 5:17

Jesus did not come preaching that the law of Moses was to be disregarded.  It was not to be thrown away just because we wanted to do something else.  It had to be fulfilled.

As spring begins to flourish around us and Easter has come and gone, a great reminder settles in. New life is inevitable. Death is not the final say. Life everlasting is happening here and now.

Springtime teaches us that new life comes after a long, cold winter, a seeming death. Springtime shows us that seed and harvest will come. Springtime is a beautiful inevitability.

As we consider the week leading up to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are moved by His unwavering and determined love for us. He had a purpose and it was to get to the cross. There He would defeat sin, the enemy, and death. But He did it in such an unprecedented way: through seeming weakness and humility.

Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” To which they responded, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

But then Jesus asked them this pointed question: “But who do you say that I am?”

God is love, and I just can't say it enough. When I really found out that God likes me, it was the biggest change of my life. It was the truth that made me free from my greatest enemy, the accuser.

There is a divine mystery—a secret surprise that has been concealed from the world for generations, but now it’s being revealed, unfolded and manifested for every holy believer to experience. ~Colossians 1:26

It’s a secret surprise! For you and for us. It’s a mystery that was concealed and is now revealed…

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (1 John 3:1, NKJV)

Who is the world John is referring to in this scripture? Typically we see the “world” as those sinners out there. Those ones not following God, not going to church, those ones committing the “big” sins.

When we read about Joshua and Caleb spying out the promised land, we see that their perspective was not the same as the other ten spies. They had what God called a different spirit. They saw the land as exceedingly good and worthwhile. But they also believed that the Lord delighted in them and would bring them into the land flowing with abundance. [Note that it wasn’t their strength that they were relying on to bring them into this new territory, it was God’s.]

We are now at the end of another year. Twelve months is actually a long time. It's time enough to include a very mixed bag of highs and lows, joys and sorrows. Most of us have probably experienced both this year. Judi and I surely did. Though the year did bring us a heartbreaking challenge, we also saw some of our most joyous times

Last night, Judi and I did something we do every Christmas season. We printed a list of holiday lights and decorations, heated some spiced cider, then drove through the neighborhoods, trying to find each one.

We checked off every find as we sipped our warm drink. Reindeer on roof. Check. Spiral Christmas tree. Check. Grinch. Check.

But one thing that evaded us was a "PEACE" sign. We saw many that said "JOY", "Merry Christmas", "Happy Holidays", and even one that said "HOPE", but not one that said "PEACE".

Once I was in a boat with some friends and saw a group of dolphins about twenty yards away. I pictured myself swimming and playing with them like I’d seen in movies and TV shows. So I dove in and swam toward the friendly dolphins, but they weren’t quite as friendly as I’d hoped. They allowed me to get close to them, but they stayed just a few feet away from me and I could never touch them.

As we enjoy this Christmas season, let’s take a moment to ponder the miraculous gift of Jesus. Through His life, Jesus let us know one of the most important things that we will ever know… that God LOVES us.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV)

Did you know the word “thanksgiving” in the Greek is eucharistia which means grateful language?

We’re in the middle of the time of year when there are lots of holidays and celebrations. It’s good to celebrate things. Did you know that celebration was God’s idea and not man’s? In fact, God had to teach the Israelites (who had a “work mentality” after more than 400 years of enslavement) how to celebrate! They learned how to take time to remember God’s goodness.

When Jesus said that the Comforter would come, He described Him as Someone who would supply us with truth, leadership, counsel, revelation, guidance and comfort. By coming to live in us He would not leave us helpless orphans, but He would give us all of the supply that we would need for life and godliness.

In the beginning was the logos, or the divine expression of God. He expressed His heart in bringing light to the darkness, and life to a world that was void. Everything created by that expression was good, because it came from the heart of Him whose identity is Love.

One of the lessons we can get from the story of the prodigal son, is a lesson about separation mentality. The son left the father's house (separation). We see the same thing with the story of Adam pulling away from God with a separation mindset. This is also called dualism, and it often causes a sense of lack and frustration. We see this when the prodigal experienced something that never happened in the father's house.

The greek word “sozo” used in the Bible means: save, heal, make whole, protect.

Jesus has given us eternal life. We are living it now. Even when our body lays down, our soul continues on. It’s not only our physical body that Jesus came to heal, make whole and to protect, but also our inner person, consisting of our soul and spirit.

We get to hear what God is speaking to others and how He is saying similar things in different ways. It’s truly such a beautiful picture of diversity. Sometimes it is challenging, sometimes surprising, sometimes confirming, but always iron sharpening iron.