From The Heart, A Story Of Love, Loss & The Power Of Forgiveness

Flaherty's Crossing, Author Kaylin McFarren

From Pacific Northwest's award-winning author Kaylin McFarren comes a powerful novel about love, loss, and the power of forgiveness...

For more information about this must read novel, visit Kaylin McFarren at her beautiful author's site, where you will be blessed as you read about the author, the book, the story and Kaylin's cause.

Trusting In Christ’s Love, We Learn To Love.

The Pharisees lived by law. Jesus lived by love. The law of God – ‘holy and just and good’ (Romans 7:12) – had been distorted by the religious hypocrites. They were saying, ‘love your neighbour and hate your enemy’ (Matthew 5:43). ‘Love your neighbour’ is found in Leviticus 19:18. ‘Hate your enemy’ is not found in the Old Testament. For the Jews, ‘neighbour’ meant their own kind. They wrongly concluded that Gentiles were to be hated. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan makes it clear that we are to love our enemies as well as our friends (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus’ disagreement is not with the law of God. It is with man’s misuse of it. Jesus’ teaching is simple – Love is not to be limited. It is demanding – love is all-embracing. We dare not bring love within our reach. We always fall short. We can only come to Christ. Confessing our lack of love and trusting in His perfect love, we learn to love.

There Is A 'Way' For Sinners To 'Draw Near' To God: Christ Is The True And Living Way.

Leviticus 16:1-34
God is 'holy'. We cannot 'draw near' and 'come' to Him without a 'sin offering' (1-3). We cannot bring 'a sin offering' to Him. We can only bring our sin: Our righteousness is 'like filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6). There is a 'way' for sinners to 'draw near' to God: Christ is the true and living Way (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19-22). In verses 20-22, we have a great picture of Christ bearing the sin of the world: 'Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood... Full atonement, - Yes it is! Hallelujah! What a Saviour!’(Church Hymnary, 380). Atonement has been made for us...We have been cleansed from all our sins (30): What a perfect atonement! What a perfect Saviour! - 'God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Galatians 6:14).

Leviticus 17:1-18:23
We are to be devoted 'to the Lord' (17:4-6,9): 'You are not your own; you were bought with a price' (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Underlying Christ's atoning death, there is this principle: 'the life... is in the blood... I have given it for you... to make atonement...' (17:11). Christ has shed His blood: He has given His life that we might have life. God looks upon His Son, crucified for us: He 'has commanded the blessing, life for evermore' (Psalm 133:3). We confess our sin, acknowledging that 'without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins' (Hebrews 9:22). With grateful thanksgiving, we rejoice in our Saviour, 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29). 'Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power...' (Mission Praise, 671).

Leviticus 18:24-19:37
Holiness and love - the two belong together (1,18,34). God calls us to live a life of holiness, a life of love. Through His Spirit - the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love - , He enables us to live this life. We need His promises. We need His commands. Take them both together - not one without the other! Promises without commands - We take God for granted, we presume on His blessing. Commands without promises - Our 'obedience' becomes a legalistic thing which has nothing to do with the Gospel of grace. We are to 'be holy... before Him in love' (Ephesians 1:4). 'The holiness without which no one will see the Lord' (Hebrews 12:14) is to be accompanied by the 'love' without which we are 'nothing' (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). The Lord has redeemed us: By His grace, we shall 'be holy... in love' (34,36).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com