Week Sixteen, 2025
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9. Jesus did not pay for our sins only in part: He paid for all our sins. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).
Back in the day, before they were mandated by law and building codes, my father was in the automatic fire sprinkler business. He had difficulty making sales, because companies didn’t want or couldn’t afford the cost of installation. My dad thought of a bright idea thinking what if it didn’t cost anything to install.
He went to the underwriters and got them to agree that they would lower insurance premiums when sprinklers were installed. After all, it would lower claims when sprinklers put out fires before the fire department could get there.
Then he went to customers and told them that he would finance the installation, and the finance payments would equal the reduction in insurance premiums and then the system was paid for, it was therefore free. His idea met with great success and business picked up significantly. None of us want to pay for anything, when we can get it for free.
There is a spiritual parallel here. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is a price to be paid for sin, but if we can figure out how to get someone else to pay for it, that’s a bargain.
Oral Roberts told a story of a student who had broken the rules and was fined twenty dollars. The boy was concerned, as he didn’t have the money. Dr. Roberts passed the boy in a stairwell and slipped a brand new twenty-dollar bill into his pocket. The one who found the boy guilty, paid the penalty.
That’s the way it is with Jesus. He hung on a cross and paid not for part of our sins. He paid for them all, past, present and future.
The cross is where God in Christ absorbs sin and recycles it into forgiveness. The cross is not what God inflicts upon Christ to forgive. The cross is what God endures in Christ as He forgives. Once we understand this, we know what we are seeing when we look at the cross: We are seeing the lengths to which a God of love will go in forgiving sin.
The cross is both ugly and beautiful. It’s as ugly as human sin and as beautiful as divine love. But in the end, love and beauty win.
Sometimes True Stories
Half a million older Americans will be diagnosed with dementia this year. That represents a 42% jump in the risk that someone age 55 or older will develop the life-altering condition.
In fact, an NIH-sponsored study in the journal Nature Medicine reveals that half of all adults in the U.S. will experience cognition problems after age 55. And by 2060, there will be a million new cases of dementia each year.
Clearly, it’s time to launch a whole-hearted battle against cognition problems and dementia.
Brain health depends on a healthy circulatory system and controlled lipid levels, lack of chronic stress and inflammation, as well as a healthy environment, life-long learning, and social connections (your posse).
That means you need a diet that delivers a daily dose of omega-3s (from fatty fish or supplements), lots of fresh fruits and vegetables loaded with fiber and phytonutrients, and vitamins D and B12.
Getting daily exercise also protects your cognition by dispelling stress, promoting epigenetic changes that stimulate the creation of neurons and enhance connections, and promoting the well-being of your organ systems.
Healthy sleep habits are essential as well. Go to bed around the same time nightly and sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room for six to eight hours.
Plus, you can dive into learning a new skill or hobby or playing brain games such as Double Decision. Do that with friends for even more benefits. Dr. Oz
– 0 –
It is estimated that Jesus walked more than 3,125 miles during His ministry, I guess you can say Jesus literally walked the walk of love and teaching. Jesus demonstrated leadership by caring more about others than Himself and understood that mankind is sinful by nature and prone to mistakes. Here is the good news, “A mistake that makes us humble is better than an achievement that makes us arrogant.” God loves the humble! Tony Ferguson
– 0 –
Cocaine is legal in Vancouver, but straws aren’t. That must be frustrating for the cocaine users.
Quotes You Can Use
The shadow of a dog cannot bite; the shadow of a sword cannot kill; the shadow of death cannot destroy us. Spurgeon
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. Charles M. Schulz
Faith doesn’t require that you understand it all. Tony Walliser
God created us for relationships. He knows that we advance His kingdom when we associate with like minds. And we get strength and safety to boot. Rich Jensen
Every sin we commit—every careless word, selfish action, and fallen thought—shows up on God’s list. And, if you’re a Christian, the only reason those sins won’t keep you out of heaven is because the gift of grace made freely available through Jesus has paid that price for you. Jim Denison
Forgiveness is available to all people through Jesus, but those who reject His offer will face definite and eternal judgment. Every person is either in Christ or out of Christ. Those who refuse to receive Christ will not receive His forgiveness. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: the continual rejection of Jesus and the gospel due to a hardened and unbelieving heart. Tommy Campbell
Beloved, I will ask you now a question. How would it be with you if God had filled your cup in proportion to your faith? How much would you have had in your cup? Spurgeon
A man is what he thinks about all day long. Ralph Waldo Emerson
The nightingale sings sweetest when the night is darkest. Henry Ward Beecher
Example, whether it be good or bad, has a powerful influence. George Washington
Living an upright life does not happen by accident, it requires living with purpose and understanding the consequences of our words and actions. Tony Ferguson
It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one. George Washington
Whatever it is you are living for, whatever passion rules your life, whatever it is that gets you out of bed in the morning and drives you – that is your god. Dan Shock
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Psalms 118.8
Attending worship services will not be very effective if your mind is focused on where you are going for lunch, or how quickly you are able to exit the parking lot. Dwight Short
Grace, forgiveness and eternal life can only be found one way and that’s through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. There is no other way to the Father. No other way to Heaven. Marty Stubblefield
Whatever life throws at you, duck and let it hit someone else.
Believe you can and you’re halfway there. Theodore Roosevelt
As we live and deal with day-to-day, the happenings around us and the world that we live, let us take hold of this wisdom and incorporate it into that day to day… striving to be like Christ and shining His light on the world around us. Marty Stubblefield
The secret of your strength lies in your commitment to Jesus Christ. Dan Shock
Your feedback is welcome and if you want to contribute your ideas and thoughts, address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2025