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… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -- Romans 5:8 I know there are people who don't like to hear about sin. They think it’s a meddlesome or outdated topic. But it’s against the backdrop of our sin that you and I can truly see all that Jesus has done for us. The depth of our sin speaks directly to the great depth of God's love. You see, some people are convinced that man’s nature is basically good. There are many in the media and various professions that declare this sentiment. But this is completely contrary to Scripture. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” In plain language, sin is an abomination to God. It’s an offense to a Holy God. Sin degrades our personalities, defiles our purity, and destroys our principles and everything in our lives. But our story doesn’t end with our overwhelming sin. Look at those amazing words in today’s verse: “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus has redeemed us that we might fulfill our true calling. We were created to know God, to love God, to experience his presence and fullness in our lives, to experience the fullness of life itself! It’s time to turn from your sin and live the life you were created to live in Christ Jesus!   THE DEPTH OF OUR SIN SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE GREAT DEPTH OF GOD'S LOVE.

Crying out for Deliverance

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
Psalm 34:16–19

David knew what it was like to be truly desperate. We often think of him as a great king ruling over an expanding nation and winning great victories against Israel’s enemies. But those triumphs only came after many years of very difficult circumstances. Saul’s jealousy toward David was a real threat. The old king God had rejected viewed the hero of the battle against Goliath as a challenge to his throne. As a result, Saul set out to kill David.
At one point David even resorted to leaving Israel and going to the Philistines—to the hometown of the giant he had famously killed. Think about how desperate he must have been to take that step. To keep the Philistines from killing him, David pretended to be crazy. “And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard” (1 Samuel 21:12–13).
It was against that background and in those dark days that David was inspired to write the words of praise that we know as Psalm 34. He had seen the goodness and faithfulness of God in a severe trial. David was both expressing his thanks to God for his deliverance and encouraging others to turn to Him when they were in distress.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

You will never face a trial or danger from which God cannot deliver you—cry out for His help.