“A certain moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”
Author: Gary Combs
Has He marked you?
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13 NIV). “You look just like your dad.” The cashier at the Sears & Roebuck in downtown Bristol said to me,
Under construction
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:12-13 NIV). I’m a project guy. I love dreaming up, planning,
Pick me, Lord!
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:7 NIV). Watching my nephews (Ryan #12 and Michael in blue) play football earlier this week reminded me
Playing Mr. Rogers
“People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth,
We love college students
“…encourage the young…” (Titus 2:6 NIV). This past week has been busy for us as we welcomed the Barton College students back! We joined about 60 businesses and nonprofits on Monday as we ran a booth for our church at the Wilson Chamber of Commerce’s “Welcome Back Barton” day. We gave away PopTarts and fridge
Who’s our customer?
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NIV). “Who’s our customer?” asked the consultant from the McKinsey Group to a gathering of top management of the Jack Eckerd Corporation. The year was 1987 and as
Lord, how can I be where you are?
“If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me” (John 12:26 Msg). I would do anything to just be around the three men in this photo. From left to right
But do I have to hang out with Judas?
“…Follow me,” Jesus said to him” (Luke 5:27 NIV). We American Christians love that Christ calls us individually. What we don’t always appreciate is that following Jesus means hanging out with his other disciples. We prefer an individual religion. One that we can follow alone. One that caters to our individual needs. I wonder if Simon Peter ever felt
Creating raving fans
“If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:41 NIV). Recently I attended a conference where Dan Cathey, son of Chick-Fil-A founder, Truett Cathey, was a presenter. I was really impressed with his talk. One of the mantras of the Chick-Fil-A organization is that they want to create “raving