then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
and on it will sit in faithfulness
in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
and is swift to do righteousness.
{Isaiah 16:5}
That's what we want, isn't it? Ask anyone on this earth, and they will agree with you, we want justice. We want what is right to win. We want to have a judge that is fair and good. We want to have a judge that we trust, and if our judge is right and just, that is trustworthy. So, if this is what we all crave in the deepest parts of us, why do we reject the perfect Judge?
We live in a world where no one wants to be judged, but everyone wants to be the judge.
The problem with that is we cannot be the perfect judge. We are not givers of steadfast love. We are not faithful. We are not swift to do righteousness. We are not capable of those qualities. Sure, maybe one minute I keep my word and deliver upon my promises, but the next minute, I'm plotting how to get out of a commitment I previously made.
Good news.
There is a perfect Judge, and we already have Him.
He was born into a world that eagerly awaited the answer to their pain. This heir to the throne of David was coming, they had been told, clothed in righteousness, and He was going to deliver them from their suffering. Generation after generation, the people waited and waited for their King.
But then He came.
Born to a poor family.
A baby.
In the middle of the night in a small town.
The world didn't know He had even come. The people looked right through Him, pushing Him aside as they watched and waited for what they thought would be their deliverance - a majestic king, they thought, would come and rule on earth forever. He would build them up. He would solve their problems. He would look and smell much better than this guy.
THE PERFECT JUDGE WALKED AMONG US.
THE PERFECT JUDGE DIED OUR DEATH FOR US.
THE PERFECT JUDGE SENT HIS SPIRIT TO DWELL WITHIN US.
But since we want to be the judge, we reject this perfect Judge, because He makes us feel uncomfortable. He makes us feel weird. He tells us we can't do things we feel we want to do. And when our life crumbles, we curse this perfect Judge, blaming His existence for our brokenness.
We hope for this perfect Judge. We hope for peace on earth. We hope for goodness to prevail. But our own corruption prevents us from seeing this Judge as perfect. And so we mope around, complaining about our lives and greedily choosing what we want, telling everyone else they're doing life wrong, and going about our miserable way.
This Christmas, and forevermore, let us fall on our knees and pray to this perfect Judge for His grace and mercy to fall upon us. Let us pray to be clothed in His innocently spilled blood, in His righteousness. Let us pray to have eyes to see what is truly good, what is truly just, what is truly right, even if it makes us feel weird. Let us boldly approach His perfect throne, for we know that His grace is bigger than the murders we commit.
He came to save. Let us pray that we may receive His salvation.
for the Lord is our Judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our King,
He will save us.
{Isaiah 33:22}
Monday, December 21, 2015
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Out of Judgment comes Compassion
This year I've gained an affinity for the Old Testament. I have discovered the beauty in God's relentless pursuance of His people all the while they (us) toss Him to the side, infatuated by their (our) earthly gods.
I started studying Isaiah a couple weeks ago, and God is showing me a clear relationship between His judgment and His compassion.
God's chosen people - the tribe of Judah, the house of Jacob, Israel - continually forgot His promises and turned to their earthly gods. (Read through Judges, Joshua, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Hosea, to name a few). They abandoned the Lord for short-term pleasures, and this disease-like pattern of living spread like wildfire throughout the land.
In order to be washed as white as snow {Isaiah 1:18}, His people needed to be purified. We always struggle with God's methods of purification. When we think of the Lord as good, we think of our definition of goodness, and it is similar to nonmaleficence - doing no harm. We need to be reminded that His ways are not our ways {Isaiah 55:8-9}, therefore His goodness is different than what we think and define as good. God restores His people to better versions of themselves (ourselves). He does so by justice {Isaiah 1:27}. It would not be just to let people continually walk in sin with a complete disregard for the Lord.
This is exactly what happened to Israel.
He brought their enemies against them, bringing Israel to destruction. He showed this people, once again, that their need for Him was greater than their need for anything else. They could not gain security by following the ways of the kings that held a position of earthly power - He is the giver of security.
His now oppressed people were crying out to Him again, and He heard their cries. God is just; He will not let His people sit in oppression and destruction because He has CHOSEN them {Isaiah 14:1}.
In Isaiah chapter 13, the Lord brings a vision to Isaiah about the future destruction of Babylon and the Babylonian king. Destroying Babylon would be an act of compassion on His people, because Babylon was a great enemy of the people of Judah. By giving Isaiah the vision of the future destruction of Babylon to share with the remnant of Israel, the Lord showed His compassion on His chosen people.
Out of judgement comes compassion.
One thing I love about this story is that God gives His people a taunt against the king of Babylon. "When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon" {Isaiah 14:3-4}. In this taunt against Babylon, the Lord shows Israel what their world will be like after their pain and turmoil ceases: "The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing" {Isaiah 14:7}. Oh, how I am sure Isaiah and the people of Israel longed for that rest and quiet.
I find myself so similar to the people of Israel. I forget my God and cling to my gods. I find myself wanting nothing more than to have earthly security - like financial security, the adoration of my classmates or coworkers, the grades and job I want, etc. - but I need to be reminded that by doing this, I forsake Jesus. And similarly to the people of Israel, I need to be pruned, purified, and washed clean. I need the Lord, in His justice, to break me down and get rid of the evil in my heart.
And because the Lord is the same throughout all eternity {Hebrews 13:8}, I know that He will bring a time of rest and quiet for my heart, just like He brought this to the people of Israel.
Our God is good. Out of His judgment comes compassion.
"Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice" {Psalm 51:8}.
I started studying Isaiah a couple weeks ago, and God is showing me a clear relationship between His judgment and His compassion.
God's chosen people - the tribe of Judah, the house of Jacob, Israel - continually forgot His promises and turned to their earthly gods. (Read through Judges, Joshua, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Hosea, to name a few). They abandoned the Lord for short-term pleasures, and this disease-like pattern of living spread like wildfire throughout the land.
In order to be washed as white as snow {Isaiah 1:18}, His people needed to be purified. We always struggle with God's methods of purification. When we think of the Lord as good, we think of our definition of goodness, and it is similar to nonmaleficence - doing no harm. We need to be reminded that His ways are not our ways {Isaiah 55:8-9}, therefore His goodness is different than what we think and define as good. God restores His people to better versions of themselves (ourselves). He does so by justice {Isaiah 1:27}. It would not be just to let people continually walk in sin with a complete disregard for the Lord.
This is exactly what happened to Israel.
He brought their enemies against them, bringing Israel to destruction. He showed this people, once again, that their need for Him was greater than their need for anything else. They could not gain security by following the ways of the kings that held a position of earthly power - He is the giver of security.
His now oppressed people were crying out to Him again, and He heard their cries. God is just; He will not let His people sit in oppression and destruction because He has CHOSEN them {Isaiah 14:1}.
In Isaiah chapter 13, the Lord brings a vision to Isaiah about the future destruction of Babylon and the Babylonian king. Destroying Babylon would be an act of compassion on His people, because Babylon was a great enemy of the people of Judah. By giving Isaiah the vision of the future destruction of Babylon to share with the remnant of Israel, the Lord showed His compassion on His chosen people.
Out of judgement comes compassion.
One thing I love about this story is that God gives His people a taunt against the king of Babylon. "When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon" {Isaiah 14:3-4}. In this taunt against Babylon, the Lord shows Israel what their world will be like after their pain and turmoil ceases: "The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing" {Isaiah 14:7}. Oh, how I am sure Isaiah and the people of Israel longed for that rest and quiet.
I find myself so similar to the people of Israel. I forget my God and cling to my gods. I find myself wanting nothing more than to have earthly security - like financial security, the adoration of my classmates or coworkers, the grades and job I want, etc. - but I need to be reminded that by doing this, I forsake Jesus. And similarly to the people of Israel, I need to be pruned, purified, and washed clean. I need the Lord, in His justice, to break me down and get rid of the evil in my heart.
And because the Lord is the same throughout all eternity {Hebrews 13:8}, I know that He will bring a time of rest and quiet for my heart, just like He brought this to the people of Israel.
Our God is good. Out of His judgment comes compassion.
"Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice" {Psalm 51:8}.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Are We Nice or Are We Bold?
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" {Matthew 5:11-12}.
I've recently taken to reflecting on beliefs I've held at different times throughout my life. One that has popped up multiple times in the last few years but has really been bugging me lately is this stereotype or teaching that Christians are supposed to be recognized by their niceness. I really believed this in middle school and high school. I was taught this. I thought that the nicer I was, the more attractive I was going to be to non-Christians, and therefore people would want to become Christians because it all seemed like a perfectly wrapped present.
"See? Isn't Christianity awesome? You'll automatically be nicer because, well, Jesus."
Where in the Bible does Jesus say to be nice because that is what makes disciples?
....Nowhere....
Not only that, but was Jesus always what we would define as "nice" in our culture? I mean, you guys, he flipped tables {John 21:12-17}. He called the religious leaders hypocrites {Matthew 23, just to name one time}. He bluntly spoke to the woman at the well about her promiscuous behaviors AKA the fact that she had been married 5 times and the person she was currently living with was not even her husband {John 4:16-18}. So let me answer that question for you: no, we would not define those actions as "nice."
Jesus was forward, blunt, even sometimes coming off as rude, because the stakes were that high. He valued His people so much that He needed to tell them the truth, right then and there.
Jesus didn't come to make friends! He came to give this world their only hope! "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" {John 14:6}. He knew that if people didn't understand His impenetrable grace and the work He did for us on the cross that we would rot in hell for all eternity. This was seriously a matter of life (Heaven) or death (hell) for the world.
AND it still is a matter of life or death. The stakes are STILL that high.
I'm not trying to discourage acts of kindness. These are natural responses to the work the Lord has done in our hearts through the process of sanctification. Kindness is part of the fruit of the Spirit {Galations 5:22}. However, Christianity is so much more than that. I want to break down the belief that as Christians everyone should like us and want to be us because we are so nice. I know there are people out there that cling to that thought and feel as though they are "doing it wrong" when they face resistance in the form of persecution.
Jesus was persecuted, and He calls us to gladly follow Him in all ways, including this one - rejoicing in persecution. Refer to the scripture at the top of this post from Matthew 5. Rejoice and be glad. "Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words" {Psalm 119:161}.
Y'all, persecution is hard. All the Christians I know have lost friends at some point because of their beliefs, specifically because they spoke truths when others did not want to hear them. This world tells us we are closed-minded, uptight, judgmental, forceful, offensive, and just plain wrong, to name a few. If we don't accept what the world views as right and instead follow the Gospel, we can face anything from mockery to murder.
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" {Matthew 16:26}
This is exactly how Jesus was treated while on this earth. Some people heard Him and gave up everything to follow Him no matter the cost, but the majority were outraged by His boldness to speak up and call people out of the destructive paths they were on.
This did not cause Jesus to stray from His mission. In fact, being persecuted gave Him reassurance.
Wanna know why? It starts all the way back in Genesis 4 when Cain murdered his brother Abel. From then on, God's chosen people faced destruction over and over again. Jesus knew to expect this, and He warned Christians that we will face this until He returns or calls us home.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother
will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and
children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved" {Matthew 10:16-22}.
Fellow Christians, we must be willing to fight this good fight. We must be willing to lose everything. In this process, many will come to know Jesus and be saved. They aren't saved by our niceness, but in fact, through our boldness to follow the example of our Teacher, so that He can reveal Himself to them.
It will be hard. We will be hated. But, oh, how I am forever grateful for those who took bold steps to call me out of my path of destructiveness and speak truths about the Almighty One. We are not Jesus - He is the one who saves. BUT. He calls us to go and make disciples {Matthew 28:19}. Therefore 1) we should, and 2) He uses us as part of His plan to save His chosen ones.
There are people around us, awaiting their moment of salvation.
Let us be bold, brothers and sisters!
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven" {Matthew 10:26-32}.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Life is Important
Life is important.
There is a tiny baby boy I have had the privilege of caring for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He barely weighs two pounds. Did that sink in? Two. Flipping. Pounds - just a little over twice the weight of a football. He was born severely premature, but you wanna know what? He's a fighter. I have walked into his room on multiple occasions only to find that he has managed to escape the little nest we created with rolls of blankets all around him. His scrawny, wrinkly legs are thrown over the side of his nest, and his hands cover his face as if to say, "I know I am not supposed to be positioned like this. Please don't be mad at me. Look how cute I am." I begin to rub his belly to wake him up and he crinkles his mouth, nose, and forehead as he slowly opens one eye to peak at me. This little boy has my heart. His life is powerful. It has impacted me beyond what I can even begin to explain.
Sometimes he forgets to breathe. The alarms from his monitors start beeping, and we rush into his room to see what's going on. He's turned a dusky pink color. His heart rate and oxygen saturation are dropping. We grab the bag-mask and deliver breaths. We monitor him. I rub his belly, attempting to stimulate him. He eventually figures it out. Like I said, he's a fighter.
I have recently found myself lingering by his bed after I finish his cares. I stare at the miniature features he possesses and notice how perfectly proportionate he is. He is completely identifiable as a baby human, just a tiny one at that.
There are babies aborted at his age.
Life is important.
Life gives us the opportunity to know a God who loves recklessly. Life gives us the opportunity to experience joy in community with other believers of the Good News. Life gives us the opportunity to sing praises to our King while our hearts long for our anticipated reunion with Him. Life gives us the opportunity to pick up someone's broken heart and whisper healing truths to it. Life gives us the opportunity to spread our only hope - the Gospel.
Life gives us the opportunity to impact and be impacted, to know and be known.
Life is important.
Are you choosing to live?
There is a tiny baby boy I have had the privilege of caring for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He barely weighs two pounds. Did that sink in? Two. Flipping. Pounds - just a little over twice the weight of a football. He was born severely premature, but you wanna know what? He's a fighter. I have walked into his room on multiple occasions only to find that he has managed to escape the little nest we created with rolls of blankets all around him. His scrawny, wrinkly legs are thrown over the side of his nest, and his hands cover his face as if to say, "I know I am not supposed to be positioned like this. Please don't be mad at me. Look how cute I am." I begin to rub his belly to wake him up and he crinkles his mouth, nose, and forehead as he slowly opens one eye to peak at me. This little boy has my heart. His life is powerful. It has impacted me beyond what I can even begin to explain.
Sometimes he forgets to breathe. The alarms from his monitors start beeping, and we rush into his room to see what's going on. He's turned a dusky pink color. His heart rate and oxygen saturation are dropping. We grab the bag-mask and deliver breaths. We monitor him. I rub his belly, attempting to stimulate him. He eventually figures it out. Like I said, he's a fighter.
I have recently found myself lingering by his bed after I finish his cares. I stare at the miniature features he possesses and notice how perfectly proportionate he is. He is completely identifiable as a baby human, just a tiny one at that.
There are babies aborted at his age.
Life is important.
Life gives us the opportunity to know a God who loves recklessly. Life gives us the opportunity to experience joy in community with other believers of the Good News. Life gives us the opportunity to sing praises to our King while our hearts long for our anticipated reunion with Him. Life gives us the opportunity to pick up someone's broken heart and whisper healing truths to it. Life gives us the opportunity to spread our only hope - the Gospel.
Life gives us the opportunity to impact and be impacted, to know and be known.
Life is important.
Are you choosing to live?
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Beauty
This week, I came across a post that had been shared on Facebook by many of my friends. As I read the short paragraph, my heart froze. I stared at the last sentence, trying to unread it, trying to believe that sentence wasn't there - that many, many people, especially women, hadn't read it and believed it to be true. The post compared Kylie Jenner, daughter of the now Caitlyn Jenner, to Malala Yousafzai, the young woman who recently won the Noble Peace Prize for starting a school for Syrian refugees and who took a bullet in the face from the Taliban as a result of the corruption in her country. As you may have already guessed, the writer of the post was disgusted by Kylie and full of admiration for Malala. The last sentence of the post reads as follows:
"Last thing to note, Malala is infinitely more beautiful!"
No. Please, no. Do not believe this. This is a lie.
How can we walk around claiming every girl possesses beauty, yet so easily degrade another woman's image? What makes us believe we can label one woman as beautiful, yet strip another's beauty right from under her feet? Are we so special as to be the definers of beauty? Who defines beauty, anyway? What is considered beautiful?
The most beautiful moment in all of history was when God revealed His plan to save His beloved yet damned creation by the blood of His perfect Son. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ bled on a cross, all to give His people a home in Heaven with Him. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ wore a crown of thorns {Matthew 27:29}, yet chooses to crown His people with steadfast love and mercy {Psalm 103:4}. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ was stripped of His clothes and mocked {Matthew 27:28-31}, yet chooses to clothe His own with the garments of salvation and the robes of righteousness {Isaiah 61:10}. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ experienced true and divine abandonment from His Heavenly Father in order to bear the full weight of the Father's wrath {Matthew 27:46}, yet promises that He will be with His children always, to the end of the age {Matthew 28:20}.
I have no beauty apart from Him. You have no beauty apart from Him.
Yes, God created each and every one of us on this earth {Colossians 1:16}. He knit you together in your mother's womb {Psalm 139:13}. You are fearfully and wonderfully made {Psalm 139:14}. He calls His creation "very good" {Genesis 1:31}. Do not underestimate that truth! His work is GOOD. Yes, you, with the pimples that never seem to go away. Yes, you, with the extra inches around your waist that you fight so hard to hide. Yes, you, with the scrawny legs or the flat chest or the broad shoulders or the frizzy hair - you are beautiful. I am sitting here, also attempting to fight off the lies that tell me my recent body changes are ugly and undesirable. We all struggle with this at one time or another! Yet while I stress and focus on outward beauty, I am also being reminded this is not the beauty the Lord refers to again and again in His word {1 Peter 3:3-4}.
The beauty that was referred to in the post about Kylie Jenner and Malala Yousafzai was inward beauty. The writer of the post (and I'm sure much of the world) seems to believe that inward beauty is gained by doing good deeds, or by being brave in the face of adversity. I'm NOT saying that bravery and doing good AREN'T beautiful acts. I AM saying that we CANNOT EARN beauty. We cannot earn anything {Ephesians 2:8}.
So, then, what makes us beautiful on the inside?
Only by the transformation of our souls by the Lord are we beautiful {Romans 12:2}. It is not enough to try to do good, because we will fail. We all fall short {Romans 3:23}. We are all born into sin {Job 5:7}. We are all tainted, ugly, stained and damned, but by the beauty and grace with which He accomplished our salvation, we can be deemed a beautiful and new creation {2 Corinthians 5:17}.
It doesn't just end there. If we embark on our journey with the Lord, He sifts through and filters out the parts of us that are like this world. This process, called sanctification, is different for everyone, but it can be extremely painful to have our eyes opened to the dirty and dark parts of us (speaking from experience). Revelation of our sin and ugliness, however, is for our good {1 Peter 1:7, Ephesians 1:17} so that we can be prepared to enter into the glory of the Lord in Heaven {Romans 6:22}. As the bad in us is revealed, He fights for us to have beauty through Him. He places specific callings on our hearts that develop differently in each of us to go out into this world and make disciples of Him.
True beauty is found in being one of the Lord's own children. Through the process of sanctification, the Lord makes us more like Him. And He, my friends, is the most beautiful of all.
"Last thing to note, Malala is infinitely more beautiful!"
No. Please, no. Do not believe this. This is a lie.
How can we walk around claiming every girl possesses beauty, yet so easily degrade another woman's image? What makes us believe we can label one woman as beautiful, yet strip another's beauty right from under her feet? Are we so special as to be the definers of beauty? Who defines beauty, anyway? What is considered beautiful?
The most beautiful moment in all of history was when God revealed His plan to save His beloved yet damned creation by the blood of His perfect Son. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ bled on a cross, all to give His people a home in Heaven with Him. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ wore a crown of thorns {Matthew 27:29}, yet chooses to crown His people with steadfast love and mercy {Psalm 103:4}. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ was stripped of His clothes and mocked {Matthew 27:28-31}, yet chooses to clothe His own with the garments of salvation and the robes of righteousness {Isaiah 61:10}. This is beauty, that Jesus Christ experienced true and divine abandonment from His Heavenly Father in order to bear the full weight of the Father's wrath {Matthew 27:46}, yet promises that He will be with His children always, to the end of the age {Matthew 28:20}.
I have no beauty apart from Him. You have no beauty apart from Him.
Yes, God created each and every one of us on this earth {Colossians 1:16}. He knit you together in your mother's womb {Psalm 139:13}. You are fearfully and wonderfully made {Psalm 139:14}. He calls His creation "very good" {Genesis 1:31}. Do not underestimate that truth! His work is GOOD. Yes, you, with the pimples that never seem to go away. Yes, you, with the extra inches around your waist that you fight so hard to hide. Yes, you, with the scrawny legs or the flat chest or the broad shoulders or the frizzy hair - you are beautiful. I am sitting here, also attempting to fight off the lies that tell me my recent body changes are ugly and undesirable. We all struggle with this at one time or another! Yet while I stress and focus on outward beauty, I am also being reminded this is not the beauty the Lord refers to again and again in His word {1 Peter 3:3-4}.
The beauty that was referred to in the post about Kylie Jenner and Malala Yousafzai was inward beauty. The writer of the post (and I'm sure much of the world) seems to believe that inward beauty is gained by doing good deeds, or by being brave in the face of adversity. I'm NOT saying that bravery and doing good AREN'T beautiful acts. I AM saying that we CANNOT EARN beauty. We cannot earn anything {Ephesians 2:8}.
So, then, what makes us beautiful on the inside?
Only by the transformation of our souls by the Lord are we beautiful {Romans 12:2}. It is not enough to try to do good, because we will fail. We all fall short {Romans 3:23}. We are all born into sin {Job 5:7}. We are all tainted, ugly, stained and damned, but by the beauty and grace with which He accomplished our salvation, we can be deemed a beautiful and new creation {2 Corinthians 5:17}.
It doesn't just end there. If we embark on our journey with the Lord, He sifts through and filters out the parts of us that are like this world. This process, called sanctification, is different for everyone, but it can be extremely painful to have our eyes opened to the dirty and dark parts of us (speaking from experience). Revelation of our sin and ugliness, however, is for our good {1 Peter 1:7, Ephesians 1:17} so that we can be prepared to enter into the glory of the Lord in Heaven {Romans 6:22}. As the bad in us is revealed, He fights for us to have beauty through Him. He places specific callings on our hearts that develop differently in each of us to go out into this world and make disciples of Him.
True beauty is found in being one of the Lord's own children. Through the process of sanctification, the Lord makes us more like Him. And He, my friends, is the most beautiful of all.
"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth" {Psalm 50:2}.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Entitlement: Opposite of the Gospel
I had a heart-check moment this evening. Ya know, when you happen upon a situation in which you need to re-evaluate yourself, where you need to look at your heart and say, "Hmm. Something is wrong here."
This moment came after my husband sinned against me. I was hurt. And in that hurt, I felt a sense of entitlement well up inside my heart. I was thinking things like, "I do not deserve this. I would never do this to you."
Oh my goodness, how UNTRUE that is. I clearly need to be reminded of the Gospel.
The Gospel is Jesus Christ died for my sins, beat death, and therefore beat sin for all eternity {2 Timothy 1:8-10}. Here's the real question: do I appear in that sentence anywhere? Did I help Jesus accomplish this? Did I add to His work to earn my salvation? OF COURSE I DID NOT. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." This new life I have been given in Christ Jesus is not a result of anything I have ever done or will do. It is simply a gift, given to me by His grace.
Not only did I receive this free gift, but do you know the state I was in (and still am, every day) when I received it? "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" {1 Timothy 1:15}. I was and am the worst of sinners! Does the worst of sinners deserve anything? Does the worst of sinners actually avoid hurting others in ways they've been personally hurt, like I seem to think about myself? Of course not! Paul writes in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Not only do I not deserve goodness, but I deserve damnation from God forever. I deserve hell. I deserve death. Yet, in my sin, Jesus called me to Himself to become a child of His and to play a role in His Kingdom.
After all of that reflection, I am moved to worship my Creator even more than before. I praise Him for correcting my heart. I am thankful for His Word, that I can read it and learn TRUTH. I am thankful that He saved the worst of sinners, me.
Me. I am the worst of sinners.
Believe the Gospel. It will change you forever.
"Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!" {Psalm 98:1}
This moment came after my husband sinned against me. I was hurt. And in that hurt, I felt a sense of entitlement well up inside my heart. I was thinking things like, "I do not deserve this. I would never do this to you."
Oh my goodness, how UNTRUE that is. I clearly need to be reminded of the Gospel.
The Gospel is Jesus Christ died for my sins, beat death, and therefore beat sin for all eternity {2 Timothy 1:8-10}. Here's the real question: do I appear in that sentence anywhere? Did I help Jesus accomplish this? Did I add to His work to earn my salvation? OF COURSE I DID NOT. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." This new life I have been given in Christ Jesus is not a result of anything I have ever done or will do. It is simply a gift, given to me by His grace.
Not only did I receive this free gift, but do you know the state I was in (and still am, every day) when I received it? "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" {1 Timothy 1:15}. I was and am the worst of sinners! Does the worst of sinners deserve anything? Does the worst of sinners actually avoid hurting others in ways they've been personally hurt, like I seem to think about myself? Of course not! Paul writes in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Not only do I not deserve goodness, but I deserve damnation from God forever. I deserve hell. I deserve death. Yet, in my sin, Jesus called me to Himself to become a child of His and to play a role in His Kingdom.
After all of that reflection, I am moved to worship my Creator even more than before. I praise Him for correcting my heart. I am thankful for His Word, that I can read it and learn TRUTH. I am thankful that He saved the worst of sinners, me.
Me. I am the worst of sinners.
Believe the Gospel. It will change you forever.
"Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!" {Psalm 98:1}
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Abortion (plus every other sin) & Grace
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer" {Psalm 19:14}.
This is my prayer as I begin to write this blog. Abortion is a heavy topic, and I hope that my words will not be a heartbreak to any but will be givers of [His] life. Holy Spirit, guide me.
To start, let me be clear: I am pro-life. I believe that life starts at conception. I believe that this precious, little life has the same human rights as the rest of us, granted to us by our government. I believe that abortion is murder. Not only is this just an opinion or belief of mine, but this is truth. God creates all life {Genesis 1:26-27} and gets to decide when to end it {Job 1:21}. To some of you, this may appear to be cold, hard truth. But guess what? I sin, too.
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgement.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire" {Matthew 5:21-22}.
By providing those verses from the book of Matthew, I hope to show that this is not a blog aiming to condemn abortionists, or any other sinner (because, helllloooooo, I am also a sinner). This blog aims, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to share hope & truth. Specifically in this blog, I aim to speak to those who have been tragically broken by the topic of abortion.
Lately, abortion has been a hot topic as the presidential election approaches and we hear each candidate's viewpoint on the matter. We also have heard many viewpoints from others via social media. Articles have been and continue to be posted concerning the Planned Parenthood scandal, and my heart is heavy as I fear that many people who have been involved in an abortion in some way or another are left feeling beat-down, guilty, or unreachable. My dear fellow humans, who have been made in the likeness of God {Genesis 1:27}, this is so not true.
If you have had an abortion, there is grace for you. If you have encouraged someone or multiple people to get an abortion, there is grace for you. If you have performed an abortion, there is grace for you. If you silently stood by on the sidelines, instead of speaking up to share truth, when someone you knew was considering an abortion and ended up going through with the act, there is grace for you. If you consider yourself to have committed greater & worse sins than abortion and therefore feel you are even more unreachable, especially after reading some of the hateful articles & arguments on social media, there is grace for you.
How do I know there is grace for you? Because the Bible, which is God-ordained truth {2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16}, says that salvation by grace through faith is available to all people, regardless of sin or deed. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people" {Titus 2:11}. Paul also writes about the grace of God in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he (the Lord) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Did ya get that? His power is made perfect in our weakness. In our sin, in our inability to choose what is good everyday, His power is made perfect & His grace is sufficient for us.
There is hope for you. You fit into this category of "all people."
So, we now know that it's available to all people, but being available and having it are two separate things. How do we get it?
TURN TO THE LORD. Confess. Repent. Ask for forgiveness. Accept this grace.
"Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved...For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" {Romans 10:9,13}.
Pray that the Lord will reveal His glory to you.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened" {Matthew 7:7-8}.
Pray that He will transform your mind.
"Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" {Romans 12:2}.
Pray that He will teach your heart a new melody to sing.
Pray that He will breathe new life into you.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" {2 Corinthians 5:17}.
Jesus Christ left His riches in Heaven to walk on this earth. He was fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life. He knew that in order to be in communion with us, His chosen people, that He would have to be the atonement, or sacrifice, for us. Our sins nailed Him to the cross. He died on our behalf, knowing each and every sin that had ever been committed and will ever be committed. And guess what? He still went to the cross for those specific sins, for us. Our sins were buried with Him in the grave. And because He beat death when He rose again on Easter morning, He beat sin once and for all! "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" {1 Corinthians 15:55} That is the Gospel, the Good News, available to all who will receive Him.
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" {John 1:12}.
This is my prayer as I begin to write this blog. Abortion is a heavy topic, and I hope that my words will not be a heartbreak to any but will be givers of [His] life. Holy Spirit, guide me.
To start, let me be clear: I am pro-life. I believe that life starts at conception. I believe that this precious, little life has the same human rights as the rest of us, granted to us by our government. I believe that abortion is murder. Not only is this just an opinion or belief of mine, but this is truth. God creates all life {Genesis 1:26-27} and gets to decide when to end it {Job 1:21}. To some of you, this may appear to be cold, hard truth. But guess what? I sin, too.
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgement.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire" {Matthew 5:21-22}.
By providing those verses from the book of Matthew, I hope to show that this is not a blog aiming to condemn abortionists, or any other sinner (because, helllloooooo, I am also a sinner). This blog aims, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to share hope & truth. Specifically in this blog, I aim to speak to those who have been tragically broken by the topic of abortion.
Lately, abortion has been a hot topic as the presidential election approaches and we hear each candidate's viewpoint on the matter. We also have heard many viewpoints from others via social media. Articles have been and continue to be posted concerning the Planned Parenthood scandal, and my heart is heavy as I fear that many people who have been involved in an abortion in some way or another are left feeling beat-down, guilty, or unreachable. My dear fellow humans, who have been made in the likeness of God {Genesis 1:27}, this is so not true.
If you have had an abortion, there is grace for you. If you have encouraged someone or multiple people to get an abortion, there is grace for you. If you have performed an abortion, there is grace for you. If you silently stood by on the sidelines, instead of speaking up to share truth, when someone you knew was considering an abortion and ended up going through with the act, there is grace for you. If you consider yourself to have committed greater & worse sins than abortion and therefore feel you are even more unreachable, especially after reading some of the hateful articles & arguments on social media, there is grace for you.
How do I know there is grace for you? Because the Bible, which is God-ordained truth {2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16}, says that salvation by grace through faith is available to all people, regardless of sin or deed. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people" {Titus 2:11}. Paul also writes about the grace of God in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he (the Lord) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Did ya get that? His power is made perfect in our weakness. In our sin, in our inability to choose what is good everyday, His power is made perfect & His grace is sufficient for us.
There is hope for you. You fit into this category of "all people."
So, we now know that it's available to all people, but being available and having it are two separate things. How do we get it?
TURN TO THE LORD. Confess. Repent. Ask for forgiveness. Accept this grace.
"Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved...For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" {Romans 10:9,13}.
Pray that the Lord will reveal His glory to you.
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened" {Matthew 7:7-8}.
Pray that He will transform your mind.
"Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" {Romans 12:2}.
Pray that He will teach your heart a new melody to sing.
Pray that He will breathe new life into you.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" {2 Corinthians 5:17}.
Jesus Christ left His riches in Heaven to walk on this earth. He was fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life. He knew that in order to be in communion with us, His chosen people, that He would have to be the atonement, or sacrifice, for us. Our sins nailed Him to the cross. He died on our behalf, knowing each and every sin that had ever been committed and will ever be committed. And guess what? He still went to the cross for those specific sins, for us. Our sins were buried with Him in the grave. And because He beat death when He rose again on Easter morning, He beat sin once and for all! "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" {1 Corinthians 15:55} That is the Gospel, the Good News, available to all who will receive Him.
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" {John 1:12}.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
My Testimony
Hi, I'm Kylie. I am a believer of the Good News brought to us by Jesus Christ. I don't know what these blogs are going to look like for me, but I do know that I am consumed by the desire to share with you what is good & true.
Me, drinking underage? I'm in a controlled environment with my friends. I'm not going to make bad decisions.
For starters, I thought I would share my testimony.
I was born into a Christian home, as are like 90% of the people I have met in my life. (Pulled that percentage out of my butt; it's probably not accurate.) I was raised going to Sunday school, learning Bible stories, having family devotionals, practicing all the Christian holidays, and telling everyone that I was a Christian.
It was not enough to save my soul.
My head knew it all. My heart knew very little.
I kinda sorta did as I pleased. I knew I had to uphold myself publicly as a Christian, therefore the decisions that I made that were not in alignment with Christianity, I justified.
Me, gossiping? Everyone already knows that about _____. I'm just saying facts.
Me, being impure & physical in my relationships with boyfriends? At least I'm not having sex. It says to not have sex in the Bible. (And even when it came to sex years down the road, I was most likely going to marry this boy in the future, so at least I "saved myself" for him.)
Me, idolizing music & performing? It's what I do with my life, I can't help but put everything I am into these things.
Me, drinking underage? I'm in a controlled environment with my friends. I'm not going to make bad decisions.
You see, I called myself a Christian but actually wasn't. Not because I was sinning, because I still sin every stinking day of my life. No, not because of what I was or wasn't doing, but because Jesus hadn't saved me yet. He hadn't called me. He hadn't opened my eyes. My time hadn't come.
There came a point during college where my decisions couldn't be justified any longer. I plainly knew what I was doing was sin. I needed to be saved from myself. And in those moments where I continued to choose my flesh, my sins, this world above Jesus, He came and revealed to me that He chose me over Himself.
Jesus died my soul to save. At the beginning of time, my name was written on the palm of His hands {Isaiah 49:16}. He knew, before man was even created, that I would come into existence and that I would need His saving grace. He knew that in order to do that, He would have to humbly leave the riches & glory of Heaven to become a poor human. He knew He was going to be betrayed by the ones who claimed to love Him most. He knew that He was going to be questioned, mocked, beaten, whipped, and murdered, all to accomplish my salvation {John 12:27}.
Because of that unfathomable grace, I am now free from being enslaved to the law and to my works! I don't have to hide the things I am doing wrong, because it's not avoiding wrong and doing good that makes me a Christian. It is by grace through faith that I am a believer of Jesus Christ {Ephesians 2:8-9}. I can freely proclaim my unrighteousness, because that points to how righteous our God is!
And PEOPLE, it doesn't end there! Yes, I need to know how unrighteous I am in order to view God in all His glory & splendor, but because I have received the gift of faith, I have been clothed in His righteousness {Isaiah 61:10, Romans 5:17-19}. What this means is that I have been washed as white as snow {Isaiah 1:18}. I have been deemed a new creation {2 Corinthians 5:17}. When the Lord looks at me, He sees Jesus, because Jesus' blood wholeheartedly covers my sins.
Day by day, He is sanctifying me to become more like Him {Romans 6:22}. I don't have to continue into the destructive path of sinning.
"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives for God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." {Romans 6:6-11}
Does this mean I do not sin anymore ever for the rest of time? No, of course not! But the pull towards sin patterns has been broken. My chains are gone. I've been set free. He has given me the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell within me, to convict me of sins, to lead me on the path towards righteousness {John 16:8-10,13}.
Okay, so this is my testimony. You may be wondering where you fit in to all of this. Let me tell you.
Some of you who are reading this are saved. Some of you who are reading this are not saved. You may be a believer. You may be where I was at the beginning of my testimony. You may be in a place where you feel anger & hatred directed at God. You may be confused. You may want to know Jesus, but don't know how to get there.
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"" {Romans 10:13-15}
Humans who are reading this: we are living in a time of anticipation of the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is urgent that you know Him so that you do not spend eternity away from Him. It is not enough to try to spend your life doing good. Everyone needs Jesus. Call on Him, and He will save you. And for those of you who know Jesus, how are unbelievers to know of Him if they never hear of Him? As a believer, you are called to preach. You have been sent by Jesus! Go!
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe al that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." {Matthew 28:19-20}
Someday I will meet my Savior, face to face. I will come to know all the fullness of God. I will spend my eternity bowing down at the feet of the One who saved me {Revelation 5: 11-14}.
Will you be with me?
And PEOPLE, it doesn't end there! Yes, I need to know how unrighteous I am in order to view God in all His glory & splendor, but because I have received the gift of faith, I have been clothed in His righteousness {Isaiah 61:10, Romans 5:17-19}. What this means is that I have been washed as white as snow {Isaiah 1:18}. I have been deemed a new creation {2 Corinthians 5:17}. When the Lord looks at me, He sees Jesus, because Jesus' blood wholeheartedly covers my sins.
Day by day, He is sanctifying me to become more like Him {Romans 6:22}. I don't have to continue into the destructive path of sinning.
"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives for God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." {Romans 6:6-11}
Does this mean I do not sin anymore ever for the rest of time? No, of course not! But the pull towards sin patterns has been broken. My chains are gone. I've been set free. He has given me the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell within me, to convict me of sins, to lead me on the path towards righteousness {John 16:8-10,13}.
Okay, so this is my testimony. You may be wondering where you fit in to all of this. Let me tell you.
Some of you who are reading this are saved. Some of you who are reading this are not saved. You may be a believer. You may be where I was at the beginning of my testimony. You may be in a place where you feel anger & hatred directed at God. You may be confused. You may want to know Jesus, but don't know how to get there.
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"" {Romans 10:13-15}
Humans who are reading this: we are living in a time of anticipation of the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is urgent that you know Him so that you do not spend eternity away from Him. It is not enough to try to spend your life doing good. Everyone needs Jesus. Call on Him, and He will save you. And for those of you who know Jesus, how are unbelievers to know of Him if they never hear of Him? As a believer, you are called to preach. You have been sent by Jesus! Go!
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe al that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." {Matthew 28:19-20}
Someday I will meet my Savior, face to face. I will come to know all the fullness of God. I will spend my eternity bowing down at the feet of the One who saved me {Revelation 5: 11-14}.
Will you be with me?
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