We talk a lot about forgiveness in churches, but do we know what it means? Recently we had this discussion in our community group. We’ve been reading The Prodigal God by Tim Keller and discussing it each week. We tried to define significant theological words along the way. Note these four characteristics of forgiveness: Voluntary…
In yesterday’s post about the mercies of God, I called attention to how God was merciful to a lawless and violent city. Typically when we read about Nineveh, we focus on Jonah’s journey of disobedience, obedience, and then anger. But I want to remind us that while there is much to learn from this story,…
Nineveh was a godless city. It was known for its brutality, infanticide, and temple prostitution. It’s not surprising that Jonah did not want to follow God’s direction to go to Nineveh. [Jonah] complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to…
When Moses dies, Joshua becomes the leader of the Israelites. He is the one that leads the people into the promised land, the land of their inheritance. Before entering the land, he sends two spies. The king of Jericho knows spies are in the land and wants to find them. The spies had entered Rahab’s…
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT More is written about Joseph than any other patriarch. His is an exciting story! I want to call attention to just a small part. You remember Joseph was his father’s favorite son and a rather…
Where is the god who can compare with you— wiping the slate clean of guilt, Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear, to the past sins of your purged and precious people? You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long, for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most. And compassion is…