8.1.2020 - week 65
on the greatest of true saving faith
hey, are you sure that you are saved?
like sure, sure.
you might immediately think of your conversion experience or of your growth in godliness or of your enthusiasm for the things of god. but is that enough? this verse caught my eye and provides another interesting potential answer.
proverbs 24:16
for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
great evidence of saving faith is continual effort + desire. not giving up the journey shows that you are definitely on it. spiritual progress can be slow, often falls backward, and can stall out for great lengths of time.
if you haven’t quit, you can still qualify as the ‘righteous’ one
the crazy part is that our attempts to seem well are often the things that make us sickest. admitting we are down and getting back up takes strength, but takes us somewhere great. grace rushes towards the man who gets back up.
if you are down relationally, financially, sexually, professionally, if sin has got you forced onto to the ground, just stand up. just get back on your feet. just start walking again …. the consequences might be hard to face, the habits hard to break, the disappointment difficult to shake, but you can.
jesus christ the god of 70X7 forgiveness is with you and loves you
DON’T STAY DOWN!
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
I think sometimes we make following the Lord too complicated.
This week I was reminded of July 2001, I ended up on a mission trip to Oklahoma with a youth group that I went to here and there (meaning I had friends that went and thought some of the boys were cute). There are two things I remember from this trip all these years later. First, don’t ever go to Oklahoma in July, it is hot as hell(!!!), however I suppose this fact was helpful when my pastor shared the gospel. Second and more importantly, God changed my heart that week in a way I will never forget and I have never been the same since! As I reflected this week, it has been 19 years that I have followed the Lord, through valleys and mountaintops and of course in between and I am so grateful that he beckoned my heart then.
Do you remember that moment? Who you were with? Where you were? That moment where you heard the simplicity of the gospel - that you are a sinner and that you need a savior and that Jesus died for YOUR sin so that he could have a relationship with you and you could spend eternity with him. The feeling of accepting the forgiveness and freedom from the weight of sin that you had been carrying and the joy of knowing someone loved you enough to save you and pay your debt! My, my, my, what a beautiful moment.
Maybe a year into my walk with Christ I read 1 Corinthians 10:31 and realized that it boils my walk down to a simple truth, it says, “So whether you eat or whether you drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I recognize that even though something can sound so simple it can be hard to live out!
Yes, I am to be a Godly wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, etc. but as I go after these things in life, am I glorifying God as I live these roles out? Would he be honored in how I treated the ones in whom I am in daily contact with?
The way these reflections came about is that I just finished a study about being a loving wife. I thought the point of the last chapter was so helpful in reminding me of this same idea, if I’m pressing into my marriage for the glory of me it’s only going to falter. In other words, the only way to be a loving wife whether my husband is a believer or not is to do it to the glory of God.
I don’t know about you but sometimes I have this running checklist in my mind of what I have or haven’t done that will mean I have ‘gotten it right’ today. The good news, the simple, beautiful truth of the gospel reminds us that it doesn’t depend on us, hallelujah and amen. But, may I encourage you by this simple verse: So when I drank and when I ate today (and all the other things that filled my day both simple & those more difficult), did I glorify God? Not did I get it ‘perfect’ but did I love well, apologize graciously and point to Jesus in the process?
cup of leadership
it almost knocked me off my chair. as it came out of the counselor’s mouth and into my ears i immediately started forming my pithy retort.
‘why is usually a victim question’
his point was that the energy expended trying to precisely source what hurt you or compellingly understand the motives of those who rejected you is wasted. it doesn’t help you heal and doesn’t move you closer to whatever the next season is. ‘why’ is usually a complex and nuanced question to answer anyway, so you are unlikely to find something helpful in the search. so perhaps you will be more satisfied by asking ‘what’s next’ and leaving ‘why X’ to the sovereignty of god.
eugene peterson’s paraphrase of psalm 73:15-16
says it perfectly:
still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache . . . until I entered the sanctuary of god then I saw the whole picture.
‘why’ won’t make you whole, so stop trying to reach for it.
book review
about two months ago, when our country looked at racial history + relations in a fresh way following the death of george floyd, this book was hot. to be honest i was little skeptical, because having read 25+ books on race/the church already this year, my elitist sensibility assumed a popular one might be to surface level. i was wrong, this book is wonderful. the way latasha morrison combines history + personal experience together is nothing short of brilliant. a perfect entry point into understanding the experiences of black people in america. written w. candor + hope, check this out, it will help you.
a journalistic look at the rise of straight to consumer internet brands like warby parker and dollar shave club, this book doubles as recent history of the evolution of business in america. how e-commerce tools + cheap facebook advertising + complacement long term category leaders opened the door for new competition makes a fascinating story. if you are dabbling at all online or digital space, i think it would help you. really useful + full of insights from both winners + losers in the crazy moment of online real estate land grabbing. check it out . .
super christian guy
content this week
a new message this week on podcast / youtube called STOP MEAN CHRISTANS pt 5. this one is about the ‘purpose of power’ + i received some positive feedback on it. would love for you to check it out
my 3 sons are back from a hiatus to preview the return of sports. they were SO cranky while we were making this and i think it seeps out in a cute way
pieces of good news I saw this week
i don’t know about you, but i can only do computer work with instrumental music. i made a 10 hour playlist of some of favorite stuff, hope it helps you turn up the focus + creativity