God remembers His covenant love

The change I bring about comes slowly. The more you attempt to hold on to your confidence in the goodness of the story I am telling while at the same time acknowledging all that is bewildering and maddening and shatteringly disappointing in this life, the more you will be confronted with the ongoing moment of

Unity of the Godhead will bring unity

Notice that the climax is resurrection! Without hope that what begins in this life will be brought to completion in the next, Paul would have had no confidence in My story. Without resurrection, belief that a good story is unfolding now is impossible. So is love. Crabb Very often I look for the message of

Self-love falling short of universal love

Did Paul have confidence that the Corinthian Christians were, in fact, capable of living tall, of loving well, and that eventually, because they were Mine, they would? – Crabb I was talking with one of my associates at work and he mentioned that before I can love my neighbour I have to love myself. While

A relation of grace and love

Deal decisively with blatant sin; resolve differences within the church community, not through the legal system; denyyourself the pleasures of sex outside marriage; let love for Me drive your decision to marry or to remain single, and if you marry, let love for Me and for your spouse control yoursexual activity; and exercise your freedom,

Unity is not bad when it is not on a pedestal

Turn away from haughtiness, the wisdom of this world, and a spirit of entitlement that blocks love and causes division. Thanks to My Son and My Spirit, you can do better. – Crabb I place a lot of vision on the idea of unity. I know that it takes an incredible amount of work to

First love and growing

Every word in this letter highlights the plot of My story, My call to community, My vision of others-centered relating, and My plan for your spiritual formation —My power to place within you the desire to love and to release that love in the worst of circumstances, in the most hopeless of conditions, and in

God’s love is deeply connected

Then you know that Paul continued to tell My story of love to quarrelsome, arrogant, and selfish people. He knew they were still living according to the saying that Corinthians loved to repeat: ‘All things are lawful for me’. Four times Paul mentioned that phrase in this letter. Although My people in Corinth were living

Showing our unity by singing

You’ve convinced me that You’ve not promised to protect me in this life from things that scare the daylights out of me or to provide me with what I think I need to trust You. But what You have promised is to change me, to make me enough like Your Son that I’ll be able

Love

“But understand this: many people, including too many of My followers, continue to relate with others for their own purposes. They use people like ticks use dogs. When My enemy seems to be winning in the world or in the church or in your life, don’t be troubled. Hear the music of: ‘The God of

In the love God has for me, He is entirely lovely

Be clear on the one way that makes it all possible. It is the gospel. My Son died in your place as a ‘sacrifice of atonement’, a sacrifice that fully exhausted My holy wrath against you as a sinner who rightfully deserves to be forever banished from My Presence. His death frees Me now—without compromising