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!

The Cost of the Incarnation
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Imagine how shocked we would be to hear that all the world’s richest, most powerful people had abandoned their fortunes and moved into the worst part of town without even a penny to their name! We simply couldn’t imagine anyone doing that, and yet, someone actually did. When Jesus came to earth to rescue mankind from sin, He had to lay aside His glory and splendor, and He had to exchange His royal title as the Son of God to be called a lowly Son of man. He lived a life of poverty, ridicule and rejection, and in the end was put to death like a criminal. It cost Him everything to die for us… is it costing us anything to live for Him?


