I lost my temper last night. I yelled at people who probably needed some gentle prodding, but not the verbal cannon fire I launched at them. I’ve apologized several times. Nevertheless I will lose my temper again.
My mother would tell stories of my epic temper tantrums as a child. My bedroom strewn with clothes flung from my dresser drawers, pages torn out of books, toys and stuffed animals hurled around the room. At least I’ve moved past property damage, right?
Peter wrote, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).
“Increasing.” I really like that word “increasing.” [Read more…]
Some years ago. I bumped into a woman who had been attending our Sunday morning worship for over a year. She’d been active in adult education, and I’d been touched when she brought me a small vase at my family’s Christmas open house. I considered her part of the church family.
Grace is never in vain. Grace is the undeserved favor of salvation in Jesus Christ, unearned and unworthy. Grace, truly received as the gift it is, fully in our hearts and minds, can’t be ignored. It calls us to live out of gratitude. It calls us to live in gratitude to Jesus, for the gift of life He’s given us.