God chose to set his love on the Israelites not because of any merit in them but solely because of mercy in him.

We live in a church culture that has a dangerous tendency to disconnect the grace of God from the glory of God.

It is a constant battle to resist the temptation to have more luxuries, to acquire more stuff, and to live more comfortably.

The modern-day gospel says, 'God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Therefore, follow these steps, and you can be saved.' Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, 'You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, & in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do.

Repentance is a rich biblical term that signifies an elemental transformation in someone's mind, heart, heart, and life.

Good intentions, regular worship, Bible study, do not prevent blindness. Part of our sinful nature instinctively chooses to see what we want to see and to ignore what we want to ignore.

And ultimately, If you sin against an infinitely holy and eternal God, you are infinitely guilty and worthy of eternal punishment.