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But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  (I Jn 2:1) Lord, concerning the law, I am guilty as charged, yet I plead the blood of Christ and lean on your Son as my advocate, and through Him claim your mercy and forgiveness.  Hallelujah! When a man breaks the law, he needs help, for he must stand before the judge, who will give sentence. When that time comes, the accused does not want to stand alone before the judge. Instead, he needs someone to represent him — someone who knows the law and…

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. (James 2:10) Lord, I cannot keep the law.  I can’t.  On the outside I may look good, but I still violate your commands.  Have mercy on me. Kendall was driving down Oak Street one afternoon when he saw flashing lights in his rear view mirror. He pulled over to let the police car pass, but the lights pulled behind him and parked. “Oh great!” Kendall thought, and he began to wonder what he had done wrong. He knew he had not been…

… to the purified, you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.  (Ps 18:26) This blog is a continuation of last week’s introduction to the doctrine of depravity. To some people, the Christian doctrine of depravity smells rotten. They want God to be good and loving, and they think God must be a tyrant if He condemns people for sin they cannot escape. To them God loses the right to judge if people are born sinful. It makes no sense to them for us to be objects of God’s wrath by nature (Eph 2:3). If…

… among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  (Eph 2:3) Father, I sin.  And I sin because my heart is sinful.  Have mercy on me. Our family is in a hectic life stage. Most days we have five people who have to be in five different locations at the same time. We just got a third car to help with the craziness, but even so, we still have to have a family meeting…

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (Ph 3:13-14) Father, Please do not let me by so distracted by earthly pleasures that I fail to pursue you.  And please do not let me use your grace as an excuse to cease pursuing you.  I want you.  And I want you even if that means difficulty.  Claude would not study. He would watch TV. He would stay up late at night and drink. He…