Guarding Against Judgement

Forgiveness of sins and tolerance for others are indispensable to the Christian life. We should bear with each other and forgive one another, as Paul taught "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves." This is what Christ meant when He said, "Stop judging." No one should act superior to others, or think of themselves as better than those who don't have such gifts. Among believers, no one should try to dominate anyone else. Your neighbor receives as much of God's grace as you do. There is one God who creates people and gives everyone of us our own gifts. God is pleased by the least as well as the greatest.

Do not judge, or you too will be judge. For in the same way your judge others, you will be judged, and with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2 

O Happy Fault of Adam's Sin!

Most holy night most blessed of nights

When Christ broke the chains of the darkness.

God's mighty love is stronger than death.

Christ our light shines forever.

Let every tear be wiped away, let every sorrow fade.

For Jesus the Christ, has risen from the grave.

How wonderful Your care for us.

How boundless is Your love?

To ransom a slave,You gave away Your Son.

O happy fault, of Adam's sin, O blessed day of grace.

Which gained for us, a Savior Christ the Lord.

He Who Knew No Sin Was Made Sin For You

God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

When you are made aware of your sin and frightened by it, you must not allow the sin to remain in your conscience. This would only lead to despair. Rather, just as your awareness of sin flowed from Christ, so you must pour your sin back on him to free your conscience.

So be careful you don't become like the misguided people who allow their sin to bite ate them and eat at their hearts. They strive to rid themselves of this sin by running around doing good works. But you have a way to get rid of your sins. You throw your sins on Christ when you firmly believe that Christ's wounds and suffering carried and paid for your sins. If you try to deal with your sin in your conscience, let it remain there, and continue to look at it in heart, your sins will become too strong for you. They will seem to live forever. But when you think of your sins as being on Christ and boldly believe that he conquered them through his resurrection, then they are dead and gone. Sin can't remain on Christ. His resurrection swallowed up sin and death.
Faith Alone by Martin Luther

Casting Your Cares on Christ

Almighty God, with whom all things are possible, hear our prayers as we come to you in trouble and distress. You are our hiding place. You are our very present help in trouble. We have no other refuge in an hour like this. Gracious Lord You can heal. Your grace can restore to health and give us strength to carry on. We know that You are compassionate, for you have sent Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer the death of the cross in order to redeem us and make us Your own. As You did not forsake Him, surely You will not abandon us in this great time of need. As You raised Him from the dead on the third day, so we ask that You would also raise up with Him from this present danger. O Lord, we humble ourselves before You and confess our many sins. We pray, merciful Father for your grace hour by hour. Forgive us and restore us for You have made us Your own children in Christ. Remove the worries and anxious fears that would crush us. Give us grace to trust in You, whose will is wiser than our own, for we have been baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

A Forgiven Debt

I was reading through an article that was given to me about a year ago, and I wanted to share it with you.

"How big is your debt of sin? Jesus doesn't minimize our debt, but He paid it in full. God crossed out our debt with the cross of His Son. "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgive, whose sin is covered.." 

How you feel about forgiveness depends a lot on how much you feel you need it. If you don't need it, or don't need it very much; the subject of this will probably prompt you to yawn. The joy of forgiveness comes only to the person who sees a need for confession, and is not hiding or excusing his sin. Nor is he trying to cancel out his sin with good he does. Everyday sin is added to our lives. There is no way to pay a debt that is increasing all the time.

Once you see the reality of sin and its consequences, forgiveness begins to glow with joy like the brilliance of the noon day sun. We are daily brought to the Lord's Table to receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was given and shed for us, to know that as we receive it our sins are covered, cleansed, forgiven; that everything is all right between us and God. Here is comfort, peace, and joy, the joy of forgiveness.

We owe a debt that can never be paid, only forgiven. Come with your debt, says God, and be forgiven and- free."