righteousness of God

What It Means To Be Holy

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” – 1 Peter 2:9 Let’s talk about the word holy and what it really means. The word holy, if we’re splitting hairs, does not actually mean righteous. Did you know that? The word Kadosh is a Hebrew word that we often translate as sacred or holy. Holy also means separated or different; we could describe it as unique or even weird. You know, the scripture calls us peculiar people, right? So, holy means that you’re obviously different from everyone else. You’re cut away. People know that you are different. This is why the Jews were commanded to do certain things that made them stand out. This was God’s intent. They wore special clothing, particular hats, and unique

Read More »

Manifold Mercy

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4,5 I love that the Bible says that God is rich in mercy. In fact, I believe His grace and forbearance come in waves, and like surfers catch the swells and ride atop their crests effortlessly, when we flow with the currents of His goodness, we experience a life that is exhilaratingly free. That said, in order to tap into this liberty, we must do one very important thing, and that is to forgive ourselves. While some of us struggle every day with the shame of wrong choices or hard living in our past, others of us grapple with the pain of not being perfect. And because our Savior has set eternity in our hearts

Read More »

Jesus for the Defense

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” – 1 Timothy 2:5 I think one of the best ways to envision how Jesus, our advocate and mediator, intervenes in our lives is to imagine a courtroom in Heaven. Packed full of people and ripe with anticipation, everyone looks intently at the judge. The defendant is on trial for a multitude of criminal offenses, and the prosecutor is the mangy old devil. He snarls as each new witness takes the stand, and he determinedly accuses and builds a case against the suspect. In his closing argument, he passionately declares, “Your Honor, the accused is addicted to pain pills, she’s really jealous of the lady at her job, she’s mean to her kids, and she just said a horrible thing to her sister.” On hearing him, the room goes totally silent, and it’s clear

Read More »

Receive your daily eDevotional

Don't miss new updates in your email!