‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (Lk 18:13). Note the word picture the man’s statement creates. God at one end of the sentence, a sinner at the other, mercy in between.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

The fact that you are currently inhaling and exhaling at this very moment means that you are a recipient of mercy.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

The self-justifier can be easily identified. He will be slow to listen, quick to speak, and quick to become angry – the very inverse of what James commands (James 1:19). … Self-justification reveals a lack of understanding of the forgiveness we received through the cross. The cross of Christ means that the score is settled.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

If we grow forgetful that we are justified in Christ, our relationship with God and with others will feel the effects. We will begin to slip into patterns of denying or minimizing our sins, rather than acknowledging and confessing them. We will begin to keep score. We will become acutely aware of the offenses of others against us, and our anger will be easily stirred when they are committed.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

I admit that, while my reading of Scripture grants me intellectual assent to the necessity and rightness of God’s wrath against sin, my emotional response is more that of a child not grown to maturity, still fighting for a clear perspective. While I can identify with the desire to edit God’s wrath from the Bible, or to contain it to the Old Testament, to do so would compromise his holiness and my posture before it. There is no way to reach genuine repentance without striving to grasp the justice of God’s wrath. As long as I view his wrath as excessive or cruel, I labour under a limited understanding of the danger and depravity of sin. And I labour under a limited understanding of Calvary.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

With lots happening over the Christmas period you may have missed Steve and Ruth’s arrival back at Sanga Sanga. Why not take a look now and bring their prayers for good talk preparation and accountants before our God?

Here it is: Tanzania-touch-down

How is your reading of Colossians going? Our study this month is from Colossians 2:1-10. I have my date in the diary to meet with my study buddy next week. Have you been able to? I am really looking forward to studying this passage with my study buddy as it helps me to talk it through to understand what is going on in the text. I encourage you to do the same!

“The threat to the Colossians’ faith is what particularly provokes Paul to write this letter. There are those who undermine Jesus’ finished work by saying that a believer needs to supplement what Christ has done, perhaps through wisdom that is to be found elsewhere(compare 2v3-4) But such people deceive by their ‘fine sounding arguments.’ The heart of this message is therefore in 2v6-7- don’t move on from Christ; go deeper into Christ.” Mark Meynell

Because of Christ, we receive training from God’s law as those who can no longer be condemned by it. We may be slow to recognize it as an expression of his love, but it gives us good government. It teaches us to walk as children of the light, to walk as Christ walked.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

We can know this: no one gets away with anything. Nothing is hidden from his sight. There is no such thing as a secret sin.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”

Those who do not cast themselves upon the perfect sacrifice of Christ will spend their lives attempting to make atonement by offering their own good works to a God of their own imagining.

Jen Wilkin, “In His Image”