The One whose mercy flows freely to the undeserving is not a machine. He is not a mechanical Grace Dispenser. He is a Person. His smile is not an all-approving grin. He has moral sensitivities. We please Him, and we displease Him, moment by moment. Within the gospel framework of His grace, inside the relationship of His fatherly acceptance, He is fully capable of confronting us. Not rejecting us, not casting us off, but correcting us. Because He’s a good Father. I’ll take it further. The One who is for us (Romans 8:31) can also bluntly say, “I have something against you” (Revelation 2:4, 14, 20). The One who will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) is also quite capable of saying to us, “We need to have a serious talk. It’s time for you to make some changes. If you will listen and follow, I will continue to use you. If you turn away, I will set you aside”... If your theology includes the message of justification by faith alone, I hope you will never back off from that. I hope you will keep that message central. But I also hope your theology includes another message – the grace of obedience fully pleasing to the Father.

Ray Ortlund

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Meats		Poultry, Soups	4	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1	tb	Oil
8		Chicken thighs
2	md	Onions; finely diced
2		Celery stalks; chopped
1	md	Carrot; sliced
2	tb	Curry powder
3	c	Water
3	c	Unfiltered apple cider
		Salt; to taste
		Cayenne pepper; to taste
1/3	c	Dried lentils
1	lb	Potatoes; peeled and diced
1	ts	Dried dill
1	c	Peeled and chopped apples
1	c	Plain yogurt
12		Sprigs fresh coriander

INSTRUCTIONS

HEAT THE OIL IN A SOUP POT over medium heat and add the chicken, onions,
celery, carrots and curry. Cook 15 minutes. Add the water, cider, salt,
pepper and lentils. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and
dill, replace cover and cook until potatoes are tender, another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the apples, stir in the yogurt and pour into a soup
tureen. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and serve immediately.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

A Message from our Provider:

“Plan ahead — It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”

The New Testament exists because the final, complete, decisive, lasting act of divine salvation happened when Jesus, the Messiah, came into the world. He was the final Adam (Romans 5:12-21), and the final prophet like Moses (Acts 3:22; 7:37), and the final Israel (Matthew 4:1-11), and the final high priest (Hebrews 7:23-24), and the final Passover sacrifice (1 Corinthians 5:7), and the final manna from heaven (John 6:31-32), and the final suffering servant of Isaiah 53 (Mark 10:45), and the final Son of Man of Daniel 7 (Matthew 24:30). His blood was the blood of the promised final new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31 (Luke 22:20). He therefore was the final, decisive Yes and Amen to all God’s promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).

John Piper