I remember well the first Bible word study I ever did. It was an easy word. I already knew what it meant…or at least I thought I did. On that day one word opened up one of the greatest principles in Scripture to me. The word is found in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The Bible tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I believe this verse speaks of the amazing complexity and intricacy with which God created us. As a former student of anatomy and physiology, I have always seen the creation and creature as evidence of a Creator, and our wonderful Creator has bestowed upon us, not just life, but through our physical bodies, an amazing capacity and ability to enjoy life and the creation He has made.

Do you ever begin a new week with a pile on your desk? Scraps of notations from Sunday. Left over to dos from last week. Started projects. Unanswered emails. And on top of all of that, the needs and responsibilities of the coming week.

God’s grace has to be the greatest gift of the Christian life. It is by grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8), by grace that we grow (2 Peter 3:18), by grace that we have access to the presence of God (Romans 5:2), and by grace that we are motivated in service to God.

As Christians living in 2018, it sure seems that things are being turned upside down. What I mean by that is the things that used to be looked upon as right and normal are now looked upon as being wrong, out of step, and not at all normal.

In a post last week, I listed the Baptist distinctives, using the acrostic BAPTISTS, and suggested that if you believe these, you should not be ashamed of the name Baptist or of your heritage.

The generation gap seems to be widening daily. It’s obvious that a cultural gap is rapidly dividing our country. The Baby Boomers and the Millennials are in a struggle for power in business, religious, and political cultures. The debates can be intense. I think, overall, the entire debate regarding Millennials has become downright silly.

I love that I can have the joy of the Spirit; conversely, I can also grieve the Holy Spirit. My salvation has not just been an academic pursuit of the facts about God and theology. It has been a passion-filled, love-filled, and grace-filled walk with Him.

Last week, I had the blessing of teaching a new group of adults in the CORE class at Lancaster Baptist Church. I teach this class several times each year for those who are new to our church. Often it is filled with newly-saved, first-generation Christians who have lots of great questions!

When we are in the midst of a trial, it is comforting to remember that God is doing far more in our lives than we can see. Let’s look at a few ways God works through trials.