The danger for all of us is that we will think we are better, more spiritual, and know more than others. Some Christians have such a high opinion of themselves that they think God is quite fortunate to have them. That would be of no important except that others, also because of a false self-image, [...]
Archive for the ‘Brown, Steve’ Category
The Danger for All of Us
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged Grace, Christians, Self-image on October 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Free People Remain Free to Give Up Their Freedom
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged Freedom on October 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Free people remain free to give up their freedom. They bestow freedom on others by giving up their own. Soldiers who fight for freedom (and who sometimes die for it) provide good models for us. Soldiers of Christ should always be willing to do that.
- Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the [...]
Quit Making Your Goodness the Issue!
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged Goodness, Freedom on October 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Let it go, and quit making your goodness the issue! This isn’t about you and me; it’s about Jesus. When you obsess over anything but him – and that includes being free – you can lose it. Jesus is freedom, and to the degree that you stay focused on him, you will find yourself free.
- [...]
The Value of Our Inferiority
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged Inferiority on October 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Do you see it? We all have feelings of inferiority, some because we really are inferior and some not based on reality at all. But it was our inferiority that brought us to Christ in the first place! Once those feelings bring us to that point, they fulfill their purpose.
- Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom: [...]
More Importantly, God Gives Us Himself
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged Obedience, Forgiveness on October 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Sometimes God will give us the gift of obedience and sometimes he won’t. When God doesn’t, he gives us love and forgiveness. But more important than that, God gives us himself – freely, joyously and without reservation.
- Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel, copyright 2004, Howard Books, page 233
Sometimes God Will Change Us and Sometimes He Won’t
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged Sin, God's Law, God, Confess on October 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Second, when we go to God, sometimes he begins to change us and to make us different than we were before we went to him. But you’ll get into trouble if you make this an absolute. If you believe that every time you confess sin (pointed out by the law) to God, then he automatically [...]
Love In Response to Goodness Isn’t Love
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged Goodness, Relationship with God, Love on October 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Love in response to goodness isn’t love, but reward. Fortunately for us, that’s not God’s way. Our relationship with God is not a matter of reward, but of love. And that’s why we can enjoy such staggering in his presence.
- Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel, copyright 2004, Howard Books, [...]
He Accepts Us No Matter How Dirty We Are
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged God, God's Throne on October 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
First, when we go to God, he accepts us no matter how dirty we are. I can’t tell you the number of times I have crept into the throne room of God thinking, He’s going to really get me this time. I’m history. He will not accept me this time because I’ve been here like [...]
God, Save Me from the Politicians, Christians or Pagans Who Think They Are My Mother
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged God's Law, Compassion, Utopia, Christian Right, Communist Left, Antistatist on October 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Third, the law of God is a sampler. Utopian schemes, whether they come from the Christian right or the Communist left, generally injure those who have to suffer under them. They start by throwing the scoundrels out, but end by putting worse scoundrels in. When the end justifies the means, the end becomes too horrible [...]
You Don’t Really Break the Law of God…
Posted in Brown, Steve, tagged God's Laws, Happiness on October 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Second, the law of God is a safeguard. When you walk in a minefield, you might want to know the location of the mines. The positive side of the law brings happiness, while the negative side provides protection. One will make you feel better, and the other will keep you from getting killed. It has [...]
