If I’m not showing grace . . . have I forgotten the grace I’ve been shown?

If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: 'God with us.'

Jesus Christ is not just 'my personal Savior'. He is Lord.

It wasn't a potential atonement actuated by the sinner, it was an actual atonement initiated by the savior.

No human being...is ever conceived outside God's will or ever conceived apart from God's image. Life is a gift from God created in His own image.

You say you do not know what God's will is, but I'll tell you what it is. Above all it is that you know Christ and then that your neighbors hear about Christ. That is His will. So often we sit around twiddling our thumbs, dreaming about God's will in some distant future when we are not even willing to stand up on our own two feet, walk down the street, and do God's will right now.

Why is discipline important? Discipline teaches us to operate by principle rather than desire. Saying no to our impulses (even the ones that are not inherently sinful) puts us in control of our appetites rather than vice versa. It deposes our lust and permits truth, virtue, and integrity to rule our minds instead.