God's compassion has often been forceful. At times, his force has been the confrontation of a friend, putting before my eyes the way my sin is harmful to those around me. His force has been the perfect storm of circumstances that upon first glance seem to prove that He hates me but soon reveal that He was delivering me from self-destruction. His force has been suffering, the stripping away of everything I trusted in, leaving me with Him alone. The compassion of God seizes me by the hand and drags me out of my sin when I hesitate to flee.
Read MoreWe live in an all-about-me culture; we tend to be consumeristic and individualistic—even at church. As consumers, we are always asking: "What can I get out of this?" As individuals, we ask: "What does this have to do with me?" This way of thinking dismantles the primary metaphor describing the church: a body made of many parts.
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