FROM THE KEYBOARD

The Word of God is our charge into wartime, our armor for warfare and our weapon of war. In other words, it charges us to take charge, it armors us to withstand a charge, and it is our weapon to discharge against the enemy who thinks he's in charge. "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare…" (1Timothy 1:18).

To forgive doesn't mean you condone the offense. To forgive means you are willing to "let go" of the hurt so that bitterness cannot grow in your heart. And since God forgave us through Jesus Christ on the cross, it's through His mercy that we can forgive any trespass against us. "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" (Matthew 6:12).

If grace grabbed me, then grace can grab thee. In other words, Christ is able to save anyone, from anywhere, who has done anything. One just needs to turn from their sin and come undone by the love of the Son. "However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life" (1 Timothy 1:16).

Our past does not make us ineligible, no matter what we have done. In fact, with repentance, our past keeps us humble and reminds us of the mginitude of what Christ has done. "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:12-13).

Newsflash: There will be no separation of church and state on Judgment Day. In other words, there is coming a day where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. So until that Day, Christians should not shy away from bringing their faith to the public space. (Philippians 2:9-11)

The closer we get to Christ, the more we realize how far we are from Christ. This is a paradox. Again, the closer we get to Him, the more humble we remain knowing what we have been saved from and what we have been saved for. You see, we have been saved from the work of hell on earth and...