Nobody who ever met Jesus ever had a moderate reaction to him…They either hated him and wanted to kill him, they were afraid of him and wanted to run away, or they were absolutely smitten with him and they tried to give their whole lives to him. (J. Stott)
The person who knows he has received mercy while an undeserving enemy of God will have a heart of love for even (and especially!) the most ungrateful and difficult persons. Why? Because we are too.
Only Christ can be your source of spiritual vitality and strength. Only Christ can save you, change you and deliver you from you. One Christ can give your soul what it's desperately seeking.
"The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time."
-Timothy Keller
“Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life…all of our life.”
— Life of the Beloved
God is intent on removing the remaining imperfections from your heart. This may be an uncomfortable or even painful process, but it's all done in love. Today, you will experience the loving hand of God through the process of personal heart transformation. Will you embrace it, or will you reject it?
One reason Christianity resonates: it speaks to both head and heart. It tells a meaningful story about the world around us, but also the longings deep within us. It explains both the universe and the human experience within it.
To experience victory over sin, we need a greater love for God than we have for ourselves, and his divine grace is the only thing that has the power to produce that kind of love in us.