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David Scudder
DaveBethel at gmail dot com Sr. Pastor of Bethel Chapel Church
Derick Scudder > Misc. comments from Bethel's youth leader
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Bethel's Youth Group > Musings from Bethel's young people Kensington Neighorhood House > Our Outreach to Kensington |
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When St. Patrick’s Day comes, there seems to be a wee bit o’ Irish in all of us. How do you celebrate the day? Many will celebrate by wear green and preparing traditional Irish foods like glazed corned beef or lamb stew and potatoes. All over our country people will be celebrating Saint Patrick, a Christian missionary to Ireland.
It’s difficult to separate fact from fiction when it comes to St. Patrick. Some of the best-known stories about this man are based on legend and not on any historical records. For example, although he is thought of as a Roman Catholic missionary, no Pope ever sent him to Ireland (the papacy didn’t exist yet) nor did the Roman church ever canonize him. We also know that the stories about St. Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland are a myth. History proves that there were no snakes in Ireland at that time. Although St. Patrick lived a long time ago (about 389 to 461 A.D.), he did leave us with two important documents: Declaration and the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus. They give us much insight about this celebrated figure. These writings reveal that he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and enslaved in Ireland for about six years. It was during this time that Patrick says, “the Lord opened to me a sense of my unbelief, that I might ...be converted with all my heart unto the Lord my God, who had looked on my humility....” He escaped captivity and returned safely home. Several years later he felt that God was calling him to go back to Ireland to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was determined to return to Ireland—so determined that he did it over the objections of his parents as well as over the objections of some church leaders who feared for his safety. St. Patrick received very little formal religious training, but he did know the Bible. His lack of education, though, did not hinder God from using him. During Patrick’s many years in Ireland, thousands turned from their pagan worship and gave their hearts to Jesus Christ. What an encouragement for us today! Whatever failures are in our past, whatever abilities we lack, God can still use us. As Paul explains, “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, [i.e. as the average person would see it] not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27). None of us are too weak or uneducated to be used by God. In fact, the weaker we are, the more glory God receives when He does use us. There is another way that we can be like St. Patrick. He is called “Saint” because of the many wonderful things he did. The Bible, though, makes it clear that anybody can be a saint. All they have to do is trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins. When that happens, God makes them His very own. Notice how Paul addresses the Christians in Corinth: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified [set apart] in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Depending on who you are, there are two ways you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. If you have never done it before, turn away from your sin and trust Christ’s payment for those sins. If St. Patrick were here, that’s what he would encourage you to do, just like he did the Irish so many years ago. If you have already given your heart and life to Jesus Christ, then use St. Patrick’s life as proof that God can use you if you’re willing to give up your comforts and worldly pleasures in order to share Christ’s good news with others. Don’t be distracted by the legends or the food on St. Patrick’s Day. Celebrate the glory of Christ’s wonderful Gospel because, “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
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I love baseball. Ever since I was a boy I dreamed of playing baseball as I listened to Big League games on the radio. I’ve been a Phillies fan ever since I moved here, and I’m glad a new season is beginning. Along with all true fans, though, I long for the “good-ole-days” when players played the game just because they loved baseball. Money, I’m afraid, has messed all of that up. The average annual salary for a big-league baseball player was only $17,000 in 1965. Today it is almost three million dollars! Modern players don’t just play on diamonds. They can wear them, too!
The spring of 1995, though, was different. For the first few weeks of that season the players hustled up to the plate when it was their turn to bat. Close calls by the umpires were not questioned. The players arrived at the park early and stayed after the game until the grounds keepers threw them out. When the coach asked for volunteers to shag fly balls, a dozen hands would go up. The players thanked the fans for coming to watch; they thanked the umpires, and they thanked those who washed their uniforms. When the players lined up to sign autographs, there were more of them than there were fans. What made the difference? The regular players, even those in the minor leagues, went on strike. The owners were determined to open the season on time, so they invited almost anyone to play who was willing to get out there and be on the team. The games did not sparkle with awesome plays, mind you. Line drives rarely got out of the infield, and the pitching was so slow that one coach said they didn’t even register on the radar gun. It wasn’t pretty, but the guys playing the game were ecstatic. They were thrilled about playing baseball, and it showed. Why were these players so excited about playing? The replacement players weren’t on the field because they earned the right to be there. They didn’t deserve to play. They knew they weren’t good enough to be in the Big Leagues, but they were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to actually live out a dream. They weren’t picked to play because they were good. They were picked to play because they wanted to play. One guy actually offered any team a hundred thousand dollars if they would just sign him. He wanted to stay on a baseball team! We smile at that kind of enthusiasm. We all remember the thrill of being chosen for a team we wanted to play on. There is a bigger thrill in this life, though. Those of us who have come to God to have our sins forgiven have been chosen by Him for eternity. Being picked to be on God’s team is far more important than playing baseball and the eternal benefits He offers are far greater than getting a chance to play a game, even baseball. We Christians have something in common with those excited replacement baseball players. We, too, understand how unworthy we are. If there is one thing that Paul makes clear in the Bible (in the first four chapters of Romans), it is that we don’t deserve to be picked to go to heaven. We aren’t good enough. Notice: “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through [Christ]” (Romans 5:6-9). The replacement baseball players were excited. We have that feeling in common with them, too. One of the results of putting our trust in Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross to pay for our sins is excitement. What a thrill to have your sins forgiven when you know how undeserving you are! “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult [delight] in hope of the glory of God . . . And not only this, but we also exult [delight] in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:1-2,11). There is nothing like the thrill of getting something good that you don’t deserve, especially when it is an eternal gift of life from God. Are you on God’s team? Have you admitted your need for forgiveness and trusted Christ’s work alone to receive the riches of salvation? When you do, then you can know that Christ has selected you to be on His team. “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”(Romans 6:22-23). Click on "Comments" and tell me about what God is doing in your life.
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Helplessness has to be one of the worst feelings in the world. Helplessness reminds me of my experience with an earthquake. I was just a boy living in California, but I have never felt so powerless. The ground was shaking, and there was nothing I could do about it. It wouldn’t have been too scary if you knew that the moving would stop in a few seconds or that it wasn’t going to cause any damage (it didn’t). But, while the ground is moving, you have no idea what is coming next. Life’s problems can be like that. It’s the helplessness that makes life feel so overwhelming.
There are many people who claim to have the answer to our helplessness. Although psychiatrists claim to have the solutions, why do they have the highest suicide rate of any major profession? Most politicians would like us to believe that they can solve all of our problems. History shows, though, that they aren’t able to do it (regardless of political party!), no matter how great their promises sound. The truth is that there are a lot of problems the government cannot and should not solve. Hitler tried to solve Germany's problems. To this day a plaque still hangs on one of the walls of the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Germany. It is a quote from Adolf Hitler: “I freed Germany from the stupid and degrading fallacies of conscience and morality . . . we will train young people before whom the world will tremble.” Hitler, who rejected the claims of Christ, said he would set people free. His “freedom,” though, was bloodcurdling and his “truth” was a lie. We cannot depend on government to keep us from the trials in life that make us feel helpless. While ordeals in this life often leave us feeling helpless, thinking about eternity magnifies that feeling. The most helpless feeling I can image would be to stand before the God of the universe in my own sinfulness. I need forgiveness. I need to be made righteous and holy. I am convinced that Jesus Christ is the only one we can rely on to remove both our sense of helplessness in our everyday lives here and the helplessness we feel about our sin when we look at eternity. Last Sunday many of us celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Christ is much more than just a beautiful thing to think about. New life, death being defeated, appearing alive to His followers – these are all heart-stirring events. In themselves they don't capture the importance of Christ’s resurrection. The Apostle Paul explains that Christ's resurrection makes all the difference in the world. He said, “ if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain; ... you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:14,17). In other words, if Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead, we don’t have any way of getting to heaven. All is lost! We are helpless. Christ claims that He can set us free from our prisons of sin and guilt. He clearly stated: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus also said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). We can place confidence in these claims because Jesus had the power to conquer death for us. No other human, let alone any religious leader, has ever shown that kind of power. No one ever found Christ’s body. Hundreds of His followers saw Him alive, and many were willing to die because they believed in what they saw. I am so glad that I can know I have been set free from my sin. “So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free” (John 8:36 Amplified Version). If you are feeling helpless about your life today or your eternal future, then turn to Christ. If you are trusting Christ alone to set you free, you can rejoice that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”(Romans 8:1).
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How to be a Confident Person
Most of us (and men are the worst!) like to act as if we have all the answers. We don’t, of course, but because we’re afraid to appear weak, we just pretend to know what we’re doing. Our weaknesses have a way of peeking through our attempts to appear strong, though. A story about a Junior High School band illustrates this perfectly. A teacher had volunteered to organize the school’s first band. Students signed up for different instruments and began to meet once a week for practice. The principal was so excited about having a band that he told the band teacher he wanted them to perform at a parent-teacher meeting that week. The teacher tried to talk him out of it. The new band leader didn’t think they were ready, but the principle insisted. The night of the performance came. When the new band members were ready to give that first performance the teacher stood in front of them and whispered, “If any of you aren’t sure of your note, just pretend to play when we begin.” The band was introduced, and the conductor stood confidently before the assembled musicians. He raised his hands, and his first dramatic downbeat was met with resounding silence! We are not always as confident as we appear. Where can we find a genuine confidence – one that we don’t have to fake? James, one of the New Testament writers, has some good ideas. He says that a follower of Christ can be confident because God will give unlimited wisdom, just for the asking. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Could it really be that simple? What’s the catch? James does lay out one important condition. In verses six through eight he explains. We must trust God completely in the midst of our trials before we get that needed wisdom. In other words, we must first have a calm assurance that God is in complete control. We have to rest in knowing that He is good. When James wrote his book, he wrote to Christians who really needed his message. They needed God’s wisdom. Because of their faith in Christ (look back at verses two to four in James, Chapter One), those Christians were experiencing intense persecution. Life was very difficult for them. James wanted them to know that wisdom to make the right choices was closer than they thought. That same wisdom is here for us who know Christ today – no matter what our problems are. Many religions claim to give wisdom, though. How can we tell if we have God’s wisdom? James explains that, too. In verse 17 of Chapter Three he tells how we can know if our wisdom has really come from God. “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). God’s wisdom, authentic wisdom, has a wonderful and calming effect on those who have it. For example, when a relationship goes bad, a truly wise person won’t ask, “Why am I having such a hard time?” Instead, he will ask, “Are there any attitudes in my heart that are contributing to this problem?” A truly wise person plants the seeds of peace in those around him (or her) and then waits confidently for those seeds to grow and produce good things:“The seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18). Trusting what God says does bring confidence. You can have it. Believe what the Bible says about how to know that your sin is forgiven forever. “But to the one who does not work, but believes in [Christ] who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). When you stop trusting your own work or your own religion, you can begin trusting Christ as your Savior. Then you can be really and eternally confident because, “the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught” (Proverbs 3:26). Please make sure that your sins are forgiven. Begin an ongoing relationship with the Lord of heaven. When you surrender to Christ, you can be sure of your “note” in life and then play it with confidence.
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When an airplane pilot enters dark storm clouds, he often experiences "spatial disorientation." This means he can't tell if he is flying up or down or sideways. He loses all perspective because he cannot see the ground or the horizon, and his feelings of where he is become undependable. This is why flight instructors force pilots to learn how to fly using only the instrument panel. No matter how the pilot feels, he is taught to trust what the instruments are telling him about his flight path.
There are times I have gone through dark storms in my life that sent me into spiritual "spatial disorientation." I didn't know which way was up. I felt confused and discouraged. I had lost life's bearings. It was like a big black cloud was hovering over my head, and I couldn't find my way out. What do you do when you feel that way? Thankfully, God has given us a set of reliable instruments that we can trust to guide us through the storms of life. When life takes unexpected turns, we need to trust in something that will not change: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). When I find myself afraid or confused, I have learned to focus my attention on fixed and reliable principles from God's Word. They never fail to lead me safely out of the darkness around me. What are some of those reliable guides that will always lead us in the right path? First, we must be willing to admit that our feelings are not reliable. Solomon put it this way, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). One Christian writer J.I. Packer, put it this way, "You can never distrust yourself too much." After we humbly admit our own weakness, we must acknowledge that God is present in all of our circumstances. "The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all" (Psalm 103:19). Whatever is happening in your life, God is up to something good if you are seeking to follow Him. "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). Next, get to know who God is by reading the Bible. Peter made this point when he promised us, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:2-3). When we are feeling down, it's hard to get up the desire to study who God is, but it brings rich rewards when we do. I have some free Bible studies that can help you do this. We also need to get connected (or stay connected) with a group of other Christians who know us well enough to be able to encourage us to keep pursuing Christ. (In other words, a Bible preaching, Bible practicing church). God's Word does not treat this as optional. It commands us to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, [i.e. church] as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day [of Christ's coming] drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25). I'm so glad that God has provided a way for us to get escape the fog and find real peace and purpose in Him. If I can encourage you in any way please let me know. Feel free to post your thoughts, or you can email me at DaveBethel@gmail.com. Don't let "spatial disorientation" keep you from trusting God's instrument panel!
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I don't know about you, but I enjoy most of the Southwest Airlines television commercials, especially those that portray an embarrassing situation and then ask, "Want to get away?" We laugh at those commercials, but there are times we want to get away too. Those times aren't so funny. Sometimes life seems to close in on us so much that there seems to be no way out. Are you feeling that way? I'd like to mail a gift to you that will help you. I'll tell you more about it in a minute.
Life is filled with people who desperately want to get away from life's struggles. Actress Inger Stevens was one such person. She acted in several big movies, but was best known for starring in the hit television series The Farmer's Daughter from 1963 to 1968. The series was nominated for four Emmy awards in 1964, including one for Inger Stevens for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series. She was attractive and talented, but she was not happy. Shortly before she committed suicide in 1970 she said, "Sometimes I get so lonely I could scream." Fame and money did not shield her from a desire to run away from her pain. Even important people in the Bible struggled with wanting to run away. King David, for example, went through tough times when he felt like that. At one point his own son rebelled and tried to take David's throne away from him. In that time of depression David heard that one of his closest friends had betrayed him. Listen to how he felt, "My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me. I said, ‛Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest'" (Psalm 55:4-8). David wanted to run away and forget everything that was happening to him. David, unlike Inger Stevens, found a solution to his problem. After David expressed his feelings of hurt and even rage in the Psalm I just quoted, he turned his attention to the Lord. He thought about how he could cry out to God and that God would save him (Psalm 55:16). He trusted that God would hear him and keep him safe (Psalm 55:17-18). David found that his God had the solution to his despair: "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken" (Psalm 55:22). When we learn to really trust in God, we will be able to hold up during difficult times with more confidence and calmness. If you would like to learn more about how to put your trust in God, I will send you a 32-page booklet by Pastor Roy Clark titled "When You Feel Like Running Away." All you have to do is ask, and I will send it to you for free. (I'll even pay the postage.) My email address is on the left of this page. If you have any comments, I would love to hear them.
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Light is older than anything else in the universe. God created it first, and even to this day, light remains a mystery. The experts don't even know how it works. They don't even know if it is a wave or particles? For more than 2,000 years, great thinkers have struggled to understand what light is. Plato is the one who came up with the "Fire of the Eye" theory. He taught that light came from the eye itself. When someone asked, "Why then can't we see in the dark?" he admitted that his theory needed some work. Ya think?
There is another light that is also a mystery to the human race: The Light of the World. Jesus made it clear Who that is: "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‛I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life'" (John 8:12). This is an awesome light! "[Jesus Christ] is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen" (1 Timothy 6:15-16). Almost anyone who has a choice between seeing where they are going instead of stumbling in the dark would choose to walk in the light. The truth is, though, very few really want to follow the light that Christ gives. Many insist on trying to live life their own way, even when it means going from one failure in life to another. "Jesus said to them . . . he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes" (John 12:35). If Jesus is a light that will keep us from wandering around in the dark, then why is it that so few want to come to Christ? Jesus gave us the answer in John chapter three: "This is the judgment, that the Light [i.e., Christ] has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3:19-20). Sadly, we tend to love our own way so much that we will turn away from our only hope – fearing that Christ will show us how wrong we are. There is a good reason for turning away from our selfishness to the light of Christ, even though it greatly humbles us. Jesus came to earth and died for the sins of mankind on the Cross in order, "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . ." (Acts 26:18). When Jesus forgives our sin, He also begins a wonderful and intimate relationship with us. ". . . believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light" (John 12:36). Have you come to the place in life where you will admit your need for Christ's light? If I can help you in any way, please let me know. The living Word of God (Jesus Christ) shines clearly through the written Word of God (the Bible). I am happy to provide a free Bible study to anyone who asks. Your comments are welcome.
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Hollywood's new film, Amazing Grace, opened in theaters February 23rd. It tells the story of William Wilberforce who worked tirelessly in Parliament for 18 years to rid England of its slave trade. When William Wilberforce was a teenager, in the late 1800s, English slave traders captured between 35,000 and 50,000 Africans a year, shipped them across the Atlantic, and sold them into slavery. It was a profitable business that made many people very powerful. One journalist in the West Indies wrote, "The impossibility of doing without slaves in the West Indies will always prevent this traffic being dropped. The necessity, the absolute necessity, then, of carrying it on, must, since there is no other, be its excuse."
Amazing Grace traces the uphill battle that Wilberforce bravely fought to end the slave trade – even enduring ridicule and threats. The film talks about William Wilberforce's faith that gave him the strength to do the right thing even though it was unpopular. Although his first bill to abolish the slave trade in 1791 was easily defeated, he kept working tirelessly until March 25th, 1807, when his bill outlawing the slave trade passed both houses of Parliament by large margins. That achievement makes a powerful, fascinating movie. I hope you can see it. What the movie does not explain, however, are the details about how William Wilberforce found his faith – a faith that was strong enough to change the world of his day. Wilberforce accepted Christ as his personal Savior. That is the story I want to share with you – the rest of the story – and it's not in the movie. Before he knew much about Christ, Wilberforce, a wealthy man, would often take the time to travel with friends or family when Parliament was not in session. In the winter of 1784, when he was 25, he invited Isaac Milner, a boyhood friend, to go with him and his family to the French Riviera. Milner had become a born-again Christian. They wound up talking for hours about the Bible. Wilberforce happened to see a copy of Philip Doddridge's book, The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul, lying on Milner's table. Milner said that it was "one of the best books ever written" so William borrowed it and read it on the way home. When he got home in February 1785, he "had reached intellectual assent to the Biblical view of man, God and Christ." But that was not when he became a Christian. It wasn't until that summer that his "intellectual assent became profound conviction" and he was converted to Jesus Christ. His life was never the same. One of the first outward signs that Wilberforce had become a Christian was the new contempt he felt for the wealth and the luxury he had been living in. This was a surprise to those who knew Wilberforce. He had grown up wealthy, and he had been educated at St. John's College at Cambridge. His conversion also started his deep hatred for the evil of slavery. The movie tells how that hatred impacted his life and that changed the world of his day. In the midst of his drive to outlaw slavery, Wilberforce met with his former pastor, John Newton. In his younger years Pastor Newton had been an immoral man and the captain of a slave ship. As soon as Newton was converted to Christ, he turned his back on the slave trading business and then studied to become a pastor. He is the one who wrote the now famous hymn, "Amazing Grace." Newton, now old and blind expressed how he and Wilberforce both felt when he said, "The only two things I know: that I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior!" Wilberforce and Newton were very different men, but they both found the same Savior and were profoundly changed. Every follower of Christ identifies with Newton's timeless hymn: Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures. Have you found this same Savior? He can change your life, too. Feel free to share your comments by clicking on "Comments" below.
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There is an old African American slave song that says, "Everybody Talkin' About Heaven Ain't Goin' There." So true. A lot of religious leaders have talked about how to get to heaven, but only One claimed to be from heaven then actually made a way for us to go there.
Jesus made some incredible claims: ! He claimed to be eternally glorious. When He was praying to His Father, He said, "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:5). ! Jesus also said that He was the way to God: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6). ! Jesus said that His followers would have meaning and purpose in this life, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life" (John 8:12). ! Jesus also claimed to be able to forgive our sin. One day Jesus looked at crippled man and said, "' Son, your sins are forgiven.'" But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts 'Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?'" (Mark 2:5-7). Jesus did not just talk about who He was, He also did what He said He would do. He said that He came into this world to pay for our sin – then He did! After he suffered on the cross for many hours, "He said, ‛It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit" (John 19:30). He accomplished what He set out to do. The only thing that Jesus left for us to do is place our complete trust in Him. "How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust" (Psalm 40:4). "Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock" (Isaiah 26:4). Have you decided to trust in Christ to forgive your sin and change your life? If so, click on "Comments" and share your experience with the rest of us.
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