your story
As we make decisions in response to everyday situations, we don’t usually stop to unpack the why behind the what of our choices. We typically respond based on what we see; and, in doing so, we forget that almost every situation has a story behind it.
June 3, 2013
How has God and His grace helped you work through the effects of your past?
new name, new life?
Each year, thousands of people change their names. Some of these changes reflect a deep desire for a new life. “I changed my name and it changed me,” wrote singer Alina Simone in The New York Times. “When I think back to my old self, I think of an entirely different person, not altogether likable,” she reflects. That old person, Alina Vilenkin, was put aside. Alina Simone formed a band, tried new things, and poured her “best self” into her new name.
unlikely candidates
According to Martin Luther, Jesus was standing with sinners even from His birth. Luther wrote, “Christ is the kind of person who is not ashamed of sinners—in fact, He even puts them in His family tree!” This was never truer than when Matthew wrote down his account of Jesus the Messiah. He included two people in Jesus’ family tree—Judah and Tamar—who were truly unlikely candidates.
our past and grace
Exodus 4:19: “Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, ‘Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.’”
Since all of us have sinned and come short of God's glory, we all need God's grace to save us. In order to be saved (become born again), we must access God's grace through our faith in…
