When you think of “sinners” who might be excluded from God’s kingdom, does anyone come to mind? If so, you may be entering dangerous territory. The Pharisees were certain of their own seat at God’s table, convinced that the tax collectors and prostitutes had no such place. But Jesus came precisely for the people the religious crowd wrote off. He welcomes the broken, the fallen, the forgotten with open arms the moment they repent and turn to Him. God’s grace reaches farther than our judgments, and we may be surprised by those who are on heaven’s guest list!

How To Be Thankful
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:48 — 28.8MB) | Embed
Knowing the importance of giving thanks is one thing, but actually doing it can be challenging. We don’t naturally give thanks when circumstances in life seem wrong; when our car breaks down on the freeway or we get in an accident, or we lose our job, or anything else that we would determine as less than desirable for ourselves. But it is in the context of life’s circumstances that we glorify God; the way we respond and react in life reveals great truth about who we are. We can prepare ourselves for life so that we respond and react in a way that glorifies God; thanksgiving.


