Did anyone else spend years doubting their salvation? Wondering if they were really good enough to be saved?
The other night, I was reading in Scripture about the men from Judea who were teaching new believers that, “Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.” And I realized that’s how a religious spirit works.
Continue reading “A Religious Spirit”
Let your life be marked by love.
Be patient.
Be kind.
Be quick to forgive and quick to listen.
Be slow to speak and slow to anger.
Believe the best.
I know it’s not easy.
I wish I could protect your heart forever. But as you go out into the world, and you choose to love people, I can’t tell you that it won’t hurt. I can’t tell you that you’ll be able to fix everything, or save everyone. I can’t tell you that it will all work out, or that if you mess up, you’ll always be able to mend it. I can’t tell you that your love will be returned.
Continue reading “Love. Even When It Hurts.”
When I was in high school, I remember walking out to my car one morning and seeing the words ‘You’re a whore’ written on the window. I think we can all agree that the saying Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you is a complete lie. Those words hurt me a lot. And I carried them in my heart for years, wondering if that’s what people thought of me.
Until I came across four very important words in Mark.
“Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Take courage!’ they said. ‘Get up! He is calling for you.’ Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus jumped up and came to Jesus.” – Mark 10:49-50
Throwing. Off. His. Cloak. Continue reading “Throw Off Your Cloak: Finding Freedom”
What does it mean to be a servant of God and a slave to righteousness? The idea sounds conflicting in nature to our understanding of freedom. Scripture tells us that we have been set free in Christ (Galatians 5:1) and that we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). Yet Romans continues on in verse 18-22 to say that we are slaves to righteousness and willing slaves or servants to God.
So what does it mean? Have we been set free or are we servants? Continue reading “A Slave to Righteousness”
In Greek, the word “Gospel” translates to “good news” or “a message of victory”. That is the definition I’ve heard most often: The Gospel is the good news that Jesus came to pay the penalty for our sin so that we might become children and heirs of God.
Even during His time on earth, Jesus was the living Good News. He took what others deserved and, in return, gave them healing, freedom, and right-standing with the Father. Continue reading “The Living Gospel”
Grace Waves 