When I wrote The Grace Awakening almost 30 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined the book’s widespread impact. People still write to tell me how it changed their lives and even their marriages. Little do they know that, in part, the book originated from my own “grace awakening.” This June, Cynthia and I will be […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Grace
How Could It Be?
Whoever is soft on depravity should see Schindler’s List. It’s not for the fainthearted, I warn you. It is a raw, harsh, shocking exposé of unbridled prejudice, the kind of anti-Semitic prejudice spawned in hellish hate among the Nazis prior to and during World War II.
Read MoreGrace: God’s Masterplan for You . . . God’s Masterplan for All
There’s one Sunday from the 1970s that I’ll never forget. I had just finished preaching in Fullerton, California, when my friend and radio expert, Al Sanders, came to me and said, “Chuck, this ought to be on the radio.” I responded, “What ought to be on the radio?” Being heard anywhere other than the pulpit […]
Read MoreIt Takes Grace to Get Along
In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, joy is one of the main themes, along with perseverance and hope. These make Philippians one of the best-loved of the New Testament letters. Quarrels don’t readily spring to mind. But chapter four specifically names two women who were at odds. Paul names them, and recruits help […]
Read MoreWhat Do You Look For?
Noise can distract us from the voice of the Spirit, but God often speaks in the silence. In a rare moment recently, my house was quiet. So I chose to sit and carefully observe the room I was in, and a number of emotions flooded my soul. My daughter’s art supplies rested by her canvas […]
Read MoreSalt or Vinegar?
The Apostle Paul signs off every one of his thirteen letters in the New Testament with words of grace such as in Romans: the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you or more simply in Colossians and Titus: grace be with you. At its most basic meaning, grace means kindness or goodwill towards someone. […]
Read MoreThe Risk in Grace
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT) Is grace risky? You bet your life it is. I am well aware that this issue of grace is indeed […]
Read MorePharisaism
Jesus opened a five-gallon can of worms the day He preached His Sermon on the Mount. There wasn’t a Pharisee within gunshot range who wouldn’t have given his last denarius to see Him strung up by sundown. Did they hate Him! They hated Him because He refused to let them get away with their phony […]
Read MorePerforming Acts of Grace
Grace. Say the word out loud. Now, back up a step: form it in your mind first, then say it again. When you think grace, what do you imagine? The idea of grace is an abstraction until you imagine what grace is like—until you compare it to something that your senses of sight, sound, taste, […]
Read MoreGrace Is Life
God’s nature exudes grace. We can rely upon that truth because we can see that God’s deeds exude grace, both in our lives and in Scripture. From start to finish, God’s Word reveals His grace to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Even from the first chapter of the Bible, we see […]
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