Traveling Towards Home

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8 NASB None of us wants to be in debt, yet it is part of life. We have home loans, cars, monthly bills and even student debt. We know we must show responsibility and pay our debts. This scripture speaks of a spiritual debt. God is warning us to ‘watch our spending’ as it were. We are to ‘spend’ our lives wisely. When we put on Christ in baptism, we gave up our own will for His will, which is shown in the example of those who have gone before us. Philippians 3:17 advises, “ Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. ” What is this pattern? 1 John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.” This is the example: He gave his very life that we might have life, eternal. I will leave you with these questions to consider. Can we follow this love? Are we able to give ourselves sacrifi...

Have you ever been offered a free trip? Phrases like, "No cost to you," and, "All expenses paid," lure us in for a closer look. Many times we get caught up in the hype. We jump on board without a second thought! Most of the time it is not what it seems. A first-rate trip turns into a nightmare. We should remember, however, that a guilt trip is one we are not obligated to take, even when we love the one who is offering it. It's not a matter of accepting or rejecting out of hand. I'm also not suggesting denial as a blanket defense. Many times these offers are made for reasons known only to the other person's heart. Only God can see them. My recommendation is that we not blindly accept the guilt without serious self-examination beforehand. Now I realize that sometimes we can put our blinders on and go about our lives with some serious guilt on our souls without ever accepting it. I'm not talking about that. There is a cure and we all must acc...