Minister Moose Tracks

"Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" - Romans 2:4 For many years, my walk with God lacked knowledge of the above truth; I knew God was kind, forbearing and patient towards me, but was ignorant of how I should respond to it. Various passages of Scripture confused me such as Exodus 34:6-7,  “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” For some years I felt self-condemned over patterns of sin in my life. I would think to myself, "Am I among the forgiven or am I among the guilty?" Was I one of God's enemies or one of His children? After all, my pattern of sin ...

I am sure you are familiar with the popular song Amazing Grace  written by John Newton, an English poet and Christian in the 18th-19th century who was a former slave trader. The first stanza of the song reads, "Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch; like me!" You and I are the "wretch" in that song, worthy to only be condemned and tossed into the fiery pits of hell because of our sinfulness in the presence of the one true holy God; Newton was very keen on this notion because of his past as a slave trader. The Lord would be just to send any one of us to damnation; it is as if every one of us are walking on doors which are ready to swing open, dumping us into the pit where the worm doesn't die. If you are reading this, then obviously God hasn't done that to you. But why? It is because of His mercy that keeps the hinges on those doors from swinging open. Mercy is about not getting what we do deserve. But then there is also grace ... When...

"Judge not, that you be not judged." - Matthew 7:1 Especially in today's culture, I would venture to say that this is possibly the most misunderstood and taken out-of-context verse in the Bible. It is often referenced when someone feels trapped and  he/she has been caught in sin and is followed by an impulsive reaction. Not only do those who reject Christ as Savior use this reference all the time, but also those who profess faith in Christ. How can this be? Is it a lack of understanding as to what Jesus meant when He said this or should those who frequently use this verse to defend sin be in question as to the genuineness of their claim to Christ? "Don't judge me!" Such a statement ought to never come out of the mouth of a Christian, for it is nothing but futility. You ought to know that there is only one true Judge (John 8:50). Even so, Jesus Christ paid the price for your sins in order that you would be justified, not judged, based on what He did on t...