For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

Have you been thinking about your calling as an everyday evangelist? I sure have. Even though I’ve been a follower of Jesus Christ for over 25 years, my go-to line (um, excuse) has been, “Well, I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” Yes, I stand firm on my faith. I love God’s Word and I walk in the direction of obedience—repenting when I miss the mark (because I do daily). Shining my light for God’s glory is my thing (Matthew 5:16). I know the reason for my hope (1 Peter 3:15)—I was blind, and now I see. I was dead, and now I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). I have my testimony and the Gospel tattooed on my body for everyone to see, for goodness’ sake! But to weave all this Truth into words during a videocall with coworkers? To find openings in daily conversation with acquaintances to share the Good News? Well, that’s a different story.

No matter when our respective surrendering to Jesus happened, we are called to evangelize. We don’t need a theology degree or be able to quote verse and address at will. And we certainly don’t need to have all the answers. We have OUR STORY—our reason for hope: We used to live like the world, but we encountered the Living God and were changed. As my pastor says, “We’ve been hit by the grace train, and nothing is the same.” So, you and I can do this thing. 

So, what does everyday evangelism look like for those of us less bold than the Apostle Paul—or even my friend Wendy? Let me explain what it could be by sharing a very recent example from my own life.

There’s a new guy working the overnight shift at my gym, so his last hours coincide to my early-morning workout time. Having introduced ourselves just after he started, we chat a little as I’m on my way in and out. He’s a sweet guy, and I’ve learned that he works 9pm to 6am at the gym, and he’s currently pursuing a degree in cybersecurity. Well, as I was leaving the gym the other day, I gave him my usual, “Have an awesome day, Shariff!” But instead of him responding, “You too, Julianne,” he made a comment to me that was a literal softball opening—like the Lord said, “Ok, girl, heeeeeeeere you go!” Shariff said to me, “Julianne, you have such a great smile—a joy that flows right out of you.” To this, I boldly responded, “Shariff—that’s the joy of the Lord! See, I was dead! Now I’m alive with Christ—and He has changed everything for me.”

But that’s not what I said. What I actually said was something deflective and dumb, like, “Well, aren’t most of us early-rising-gym-goers happy and friendly?” And as soon as I walked out the door, I did the proverbial forehead slap of regret. I had missed a perfect (and easy) opportunity to share the reason for my hope and joy! 

Friend, everyday evangelism can be simple. It’s a matter of being cognizant of these little moments as we walk through our days—at work, at the store, and, yes, at the gym. And because we have the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit living in us, it can be easy too! But we have to stay yielded to Him and ask for His help to loose our tongue. So, today, let’s do this. Let’s walk through the wide-open doors the Lord provides, so that we can take up the torch of our Great Commission.

Lord, I am not ashamed of the Gospel or of You. So, make me bold in the everyday moments of my day to give reason for my hope.

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Mark 16:15

Have you ever met a great evangelist? Maybe in your lifetime you’ve had an opportunity to shake hands with a Billy-Graham-level Gospel-giver (maybe Billy Graham himself!). Even if only on TV or online, it’s always inspiring to experience the power of the life-changing message of salvation given with passion and clarity. My pastor, who launched our Bible-based church about a decade ago, noted in a recent sermon that more than 10,000 people have surrendered their lives to Jesus in that time! The Lord has given our pastor an enormous platform (and gifting), and the Holy Spirit is doing huge things through his leadership. It’s amazing to be part of this movement of God and breathtaking to view its impact firsthand—especially how the Gospel is intricately woven into every sermon, every gathering.

Of course, inspiration is no further away than our Bible—the go-to example being the Apostle Paul, who always did whatever it took to share the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:22). You can read Acts, as well as the 13 books in the Bible written by him to learn more. 

“Oh,” you may be thinking, “that’s PAUL! I can’t be that bold.” Well, my friend Wendy would beg to differ. This woman has the gift of evangelism oozing out of her every pore. She goes out to dinner, and the server will hear about Jesus. Gas station coffee run before work? The three circles will no doubt be scrawled on a napkin for the cashier. Her immense enthusiasm and sheer joy to tell others about the free gift of salvation is truly astonishing. Again, you may be thinking, “Well, evangelism is her gift—that’s not mine.” Friend, I hear you…

It’s true that upon salvation, believers are gifted differently by the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7). And we must each recognize how the Lord has equipped us to glorify Him and impact others for the Kingdom—and, of course, we must be using those gifts accordingly. That said, the Great Commission has been given to every Christian (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). (I’m going to start preaching to myself now…you can listen if you want.)

If you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, you are an evangelist. 

Yes, we’re to shine our light before others (Matthew 5:16). Yes, we are to show love to one another, so everyone will know we’re a Christian (John 13:35). But we’re also to open our mouth and share the Truth with words (Romans 10:17). In fact, if we’re living differently than the world, others should notice! And when they do, many will comment about it—or outright ask. In 1 Peter 3:15, we’re told to always be ready to tell others the reason for our hope! This is everyday evangelism—a readiness to share the why behind our set-apartness, our joy, our hope.

So, let me ask: Are you ready? Am I?

Lord, You have called me to be a disciple who makes disciples. Prepare my heart, mind, and mouth to share the eternity-changing Truth of Jesus.

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

Exodus 15:11

There is a song we sing at my church (cowritten by one of our music ministers, along with Shane & Shane) called Wholly Yours (Ephesians 3:18-19)—you can listen to it here. The words are very powerful, for sure, but it made me start thinking even more about who God is…and who we are to be because of who He is—and what He’s done.

God is holy—and only God. In Hebrew, the word for holy is “godesh”, meaning “apartness, sacredness, or separateness”. It’s used over 400 times in the Old Testament to describe God as completely holy, sacred, set apart, and separate from His creation.¹ He is God, and we are not. That’s why the greatest offense to our Holy God is when people elevate anything or anyone (including ourselves) above Him.

As believers, we could literally spend all our prayer and worship time simply praising God for His “set-apartness”—for His glory, majesty, and greatness (1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 97:1-6; Psalm 145:5; Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:11). We can sing hymns of His holiness written throughout the generations, from Moses to the Puritans to Chris Tomlin. And we all need to do just that on a regular basis!

In addition to our response of praise to God for His holiness, there is a second response—a necessary outflow that comes from acknowledging this unfathomable attribute of God: a desire to be wholly His. Not only does the overwhelming majesty of His creation cause us to drop our jaws in awe and wonder, but His absolute above-all-ness ought to also drop us to our knees in submission from the sheer weight of His glory. 

See, we were created to be in union with Him. But, because of sin, that eternal communion was broken—we could no longer be in the presence of a perfectly holy God. Separation ensued, and death entered the world. But God. In order to reconcile Himself to us, God sent Jesus to live a perfectly holy life (that we couldn’t live), die the death we deserve (because of God’s perfect righteousness), and rise in victory to forever defeat sin and death. When we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are wrapped in His robe of righteousness. In other words, when God looks at us, He sees the holiness of Jesus.

Jesus made a way of reconciliation. We were dead, and now we are alive in Christ. We were DEAD! Not “bad” made “good”…not merely “dirty” made “clean”…dead made alive. Now we are co-heirs with Christ, recipients of the boundless riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Through the holiness of Jesus, we are made holy in the eyes of our holy God. It’s truly mind-blowing. So, let me ask you this: If you have accepted this gift of forgiveness, mercy, and saving grace from our holy God, have you given yourself wholly to Him in response?

Lord, if I am holding back forgiveness, mercy, or any part of myself from You—whether idolatry of another, of stuff, or of self—I turn away from that now! I surrender wholly to You, for You are holy.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  

Philippians 4:4

Did you know that joy is not a feeling? It is a choice—no matter our circumstances. This is actually true for Christians and non-Christians alike. But here, I want to speak to believers, because we have a great advantage in leading a joy-filled life. Maintaining joy is about staying focused on just one thing (well, one Person): the Lord. Now, this singular focus is multifaceted. And we can consider so many aspects of our astounding God.

First and foremost, there’s the joy of our salvation. We were dead! Now we’re alive with Christ (Romans 6; Ephesians 2; Colossians 2)! We are new creations—the old has passed, and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Our sins (past, present, and future) have been forgiven. We are free (Galatians 5:1). And there is nothing that this world, other people, or even Satan himself can do to take this away from us (Romans 8:31-39)!

Next, we can look back on everything the Lord has done for us—praising His name and boasting in Him for all the times He answered us, rescued us, protected us (Psalm 34:1-9). There is no doubt that each one of us can glance in the rearview mirror and see where and when God’s hand guided, shielded, and flat-out miraculously intervened. We must rehearse these times of providence.

Moreover, it’s an act of obedience to be joyful. The Apostle Paul says it pretty clearly in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” And he says it again (twice) when writing to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” [3:1; 4:4] You can read these commands throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms (check it out these few: Psalm 5:11

Psalm 33:1-5, Psalm 97:12)

But the best part about choosing joy amid any and every circumstance? It just makes the minutes, hours, days, weeks, years better. Even in the midst of suffering, pain, and sorrow—because these situations will happen. (Life is hard—even the Christian life.) Through it all, we do have a choice. We can be bitter, gripey, complaining, anxious. Or we can keep our eyes on the Lord—His amazing grace, His mind-blowing blessings, His incomparable glory—and choose joy. Which will you choose today?

Lord, despite my circumstances and even within my pain, You are Sovereign, and I am saved. So today I choose joy.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16

The world is insane. It’s Clownworld—not like a funny clown, but those terrifying ones. Can I get a witness? I have no social media and I try not to watch any news. But when I go to the gym each morning, all the cardio machines are facing an end-to-end row of huge TVs, which endlessly assault the eyes (and ears if you plug in) with lie after lie after lie. (Don’t care which channel you choose—from the plethora of “news” channels to the “innocent” HGTV and “harmless” TLC.) Although my headphones are filling my ears with a sermon or podcast, with my head down or eyes closed, I can’t help but glance up and around. No matter the TV in question, there are literal lies (of commission)—straight out falsehoods being peddled as truth. Lies of omission, where the talking heads leave out 95% of a story to hype an alarming headline. And there’s all the gaslighting…this is a term that describes when someone accuses another of some malicious activity that they themselves are actually doing—usually for the purpose of inciting doubt and insanity. Narratives are pushed—hard. Social, cultural, political. There are shows that “normalize” (and celebrate) children being mutilated in the name of activism. Drunkenness and serial hookups are glamorized. Even our favorite home makeover shows are spun with fabrications (even if we don’t want to admit it). Newscasters are the worst, especially with the current penchant for the love of crisis. Everything is a threat and a crisis. And the favorite buzzword of all: “existential” (usually paired with either “threat” or “crisis”). In other words, whatever the context, the issue-du-jour is a threat to our very existence (think pizza ovens and gas stoves). Fear pushers are everywhere.

Even our own sources of seemingly innocuous info are feeding us lies and fear and crisis. Case in point: It’s August in Florida, so it’s hot—no shocker there. But apparently, I should be melting, because at 9pm last night I walked out to the porch to a pleasant evening of about 85 degrees. But when my hubby opened his weather app, it trumpeted to him, “Warning! Warning! Real feel is 116 degrees! Heat advisory! Go inside or you’ll die!” (OK, maybe it didn’t say that last part.) But seriously. I was STANDING OUTSIDE. It did NOT “really feel” like 116 degrees. 

This kind of craziness is not new. In about 740 BC, the prophet Isaiah warned about it: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!” (CNN per Isaiah 5:20-23) And in the New Testament, Paul wrote to Timothy about what the world has to offer: “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power” (2 Timothy 3: 1-5).

So, how do we, as followers of Jesus Christ, live in this world without succumbing to all the insanity? The Bible has a lot of instruction for this—in all 66 books. Here are just a few ways. We must be in the world, but not of it (John 17:14-15). Because we belong to a Holy God, we are to “be holy as He is holy” (1 Peter 1:13-16). We cannot conform to the cultural patterns of this world, but we’re to transform our lives by renewing our minds through God’s Word (Romans 12:2). We must stay surrendered daily to Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). And we’re to unreservedly live for our perfected future—the consummation of our salvation and full realization of our sanctification at our glorification. That’s a fancy way of saying, “Let’s keep our eyes focused on our ultimate destination, when we are present with the Lord without the enemy, the world, or our fleshly desires hindering us.”  (Colossians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Matthew 16:23; Psalm 1)

Now, more than ever in my lifetime, we have to keep our eyes, mind, and heart on the Lord. The alternative is just plain crazy.

Lord, as the world continues to get darker, help me stay focused on You and Your Word, looking ahead in confident hope.

Now He (Jesus) also spoke a parable to them: “A person who is blind cannot guide another who is blind, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?

Luke 6:39

I gave up social media a long time ago (a very odd choice for someone who spends the work week doing marketing activities). Sure, I miss out on photos and news posted by friends and family, but I’m also not being force-fed a bunch of garbage on the daily—taking up the space in my mind that should be focusing on all things true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Plus, that visceral, addictive need to check for likes/reactions/posts is just not on my radar anymore. (If you find yourself waking up and reaching for your phone, glancing at every notification even when you’re in a conversation, and being distracted by said pings while driving, you may want to consider a social media hiatus. Just saying.) It’s been almost four years for me…and I can say, I’m definitely a lot happier.

So, in that regard, I don’t “follow” people anymore. And as I was reading Luke’s gospel, a brief statement from Jesus got me thinking about the whole idea of following—whether it’s social media, podcasts, books, or pulpits. His message in chapter 6, verse 39 was clear: If someone who is blind to Truth follows someone else who is blind to Truth, it won’t end well for either of them. (He was referring to the Pharisees, because He actually calls them “blind guides” to His disciples in Matthew 15:14—and to their faces in Matthew 23.) The parable in Luke 6 was part of a longer message from Jesus about what it means to call Him Lord, which held all kinds of counterculture (and counter-religious) exhortations that were likely very shocking to His listeners. He was redefining what it means to love others. He stated plainly what it looks like to love others (even our enemies) like God loves us, and he warned not take on the judgmental attitude of religiosity. And following Him, He said, meant doing what He said—which sets your life on a solid foundation (vs 46-49).

For us today, three significant “following” considerations come out of this:

1. We must discern if the people and things we follow are blind. Is it Truth, solidly based on God’s Word? Are the messages that spring from those sources for our good and God’s glory? If the people we admire and follow (from influencers to pastors) are blind to Biblical Truth, we’re headed for a great fall.
2. We’ve got to know the Truth for ourselves, so we’re not blind! Stating the obvious, a blind person doesn’t know they’re following another blind person. We’ve got to know Truth by knowing God’s Word to recognize that we’re following lies.
3. If we’re following Jesus, we’ll always be going in the right direction. Of all the people and things of this world (even pastors and theologians), we have to start by following the only One who’ll never lead us astray—Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus keeps us moving in His direction. Through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we walk with the Lord in the direction of holiness and righteousness in response to our salvation. 

It’s so tempting to follow hard after the popular blind guides of today’s culture. The road is wide and filled with enticing, shiny things. But it only leads to the pit. Following Jesus is a much narrower path and requires trudging through crowds moving in the opposite direction. But this leads to true satisfaction, joy, and life. As my pastor often says, “You can’t be a follower of someone and stand still.” So, friend, who/what are you following—and where’s it leading you?

Jesus, help me abandon chasing after the things of this world that promise life but only lead to destruction—and may I follow hard after You.

“People are to call on God vehemently, and they are to turn, each one from his evil way, and from the violence which is in their hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent, and turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish.”  

Jonah 8b-9

I’ve got some mind-blowing news for you: You’re not God. Neither am I. 

But we try to be sometimes, don’t we? Sure, as followers of Jesus, we may surrender certain parts of our lives to the Lord…but often, we hold tight to situations/struggles/difficulties. We say to ourselves, “I’ve got this under control—I can figure it out.” 

As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that workin’ for ya?” Take it from a self-confessed control freak and problem-solver, the answer is not so well. I’d get into tug-of-war matches with God over parts of my life—He’d pull gently at first to get my attention, but the more I’d pull back, the harder He’d pull. Not gonna lie, there are a few times I’ve ended up face first in the mud, in a bit of pain. But thankfully, He kept pursuing His Lordship in my life, and I’d finally yield to it. As my walk with the Lord has progressed through the years (along with the intensity of life’s challenges), I’ve become much quicker to recognize Who is in control. And it isn’t me.

At other times, we do relinquish control to God, mostly because there’s no particular action we can take to change the situation or solve the problem we’re battling—we start in that place of helplessness. So, we pray like crazy…and we ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. After all, Jesus Himself said to keep on knocking (Matthew 7:7-11)! We trust, we believe, we have faith—we know that God is Sovereign over everything. We look back on all the miracles He’s done in our lives, all the answered prayers, and we rest in quiet confidence. For a minute. Then, when things don’t change for the “better” in our preconceived timeline, we frantically assess the situation again and think, “OK, prayer is good, but what else can I be doing? Maybe not enough people are praying. Maybe I don’t have ‘enough faith’—maybe God doesn’t understand how I need this thing to go.”

Friend, God is Sovereign. He created the world and everything in it. He knit you together in your mother’s womb and breathed His Spirit in you. And, yes, we live in a broken and fallen and very dark world. A world with cancer, natural disaster, prodigals, death. But God is not only Sovereign, He WINS. And as believers, we live from that victory, not working for it. Yes, we pray! We must! But in the model prayer that Jesus Himself taught us (Matthew 6:5-15), there’s a key phrase: Thy will be done.

God’s will—not ours—is always the best thing. And it’s always for His glory and our good. Even when it doesn’t feel that way or we can’t comprehend all the “whys” in our tiny brains. Most importantly, we cannot base our trust and faith on circumstances or outcomes—those conditions we place on God: “God, if you heal him, I’ll believe!” Our trust and faith—and our eyes—must stay on the Perfect One. No matter what. Take it from three boys who worshipped the Lord, refusing to bow down to a statue of the king’s image. They could have easily avoided punishment by simply putting their faces on the ground—even if in their heads they were worshipping the One True God. But they didn’t. Even when the king threatened to throw them in a fiery furnace if they didn’t comply, they answered in a way that is a key lesson for us all: “God is able to rescue us. But even if He doesn’t, we’ll still worship Him.” (Daniel 3:8-25).

We even have this example from the evil, torturous, horrendous king of Nineveh—a king and people who did unspeakable things to every enemy nation. When the prophet Jonah told the city to turn to God or they’d be burned up, they believed! But what’s really striking is the faith response given by the king—a response based on Who God is, not the city’s circumstances or outcome: He told the people to repent from their evil ways…then he said, “Who knows, God may not destroy us” (Jonah 3). 

This is faith. God is God, we are not. We trust Him and His will. We obey, we pray. And even if things don’t go as we’d want them, when we want, we still trust, obey, and pray. After all, who knows? Well, God does.

Lord, let me trust You at all times, regardless of what my eyes see and my mind perceives. You are God.

For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James 2:26

The book of James, especially chapter 2, can be a real challenge for believers, often causing some confusion about the nature of salvation. But there is no contradiction from Jesus’ half-brother James as compared to other New Testament writers—or to Jesus Himself. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Period. Through faith, we believe upon Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31)—and we surrender to Him as Lord. This latter part is key. We don’t just believe with head knowledge and keep on living the way we want, fulfilling our desires to glorify ourselves. Even the demons believe (James 2:19). Belief also isn’t just about emotional highs, like after an awesome worship set or weekend retreat. Feelings shift like sand and do not set a solid foundation for living. Instead, our faith in Jesus changes everything—because He changes everything about our life.

With all this in mind (and heart and soul), we do! We respond to God’s grace by demonstrating our faith. 

First, believers are to love on another. Jesus tells us that by showing love to one another, other people will know we are His followers (John 13:35). It’s easy to think, “Yeah, I can do that—love my family, friends, other believers.” But Jesus also commands that we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-38). Ouch. This is where “loving others” transcends human capacity and requires the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit living in us via our salvation.

And we serve others. Old and New Testament alike exhort us to care for those in need. Yes, we pray. But whenever possible, we act (James 1:27). During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught in a very straightforward way that when we tangibly care for others, we are caring for Him (Matthew 25:31-46). We can’t just stand to the side as casual observers…we’ve got to get our hands dirty. The cool thing is that God gives us each spiritual gifts and unique personalities to fulfill our specific role of the Body of Christ (the Church)—so serving others will align with our passions and abilities, thereby bringing us immense joy as we serve others and glorify God (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Finally, we give generously. Everything we have—every good gift—is from God! All our money belongs to Him, we’re just His financial managers. And we’re called to be cheerful—literally, hilarious—givers (2 Corinthians 9:7). We extend generosity to others out of the generosity the Lord has lavished on us. Now, although we don’t give to receive, like some Name-it-claim-it preachers might tout, there is resulting joy and blessing to be received in the giving. 

Bottom line? We are saved by grace through faith—not by doing good works. But, once surrendered to Jesus, our new reality (our freedom in Christ, our transformed nature, our unearned favor) will move us to do good. So, let’s get out there and do.

Lord, in our surrender to You, we are transformed. May we respond to the grace You extend by loving, serving, and giving for the good of others and to Your glory.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Ephesians 2:4-5

Don’t you love a good visual aid? Maybe it’s some awesome presentation graphic that allows you to quickly grasp the lecturer’s complex point. Or those illustrated assembly instructions that show you step by step how to build your latest furniture purchase. (We could have a long discussion of the quality and nature of said instructions, but suffice it to say, we’ve all seen a wide range of clarity!) Whether you’re the teacher (giver) or the student (receiver) of a concept, having an image to refer to helps you understand, remember, and explain it.

Since becoming a believer, fully surrendering my life to Jesus Christ, my primary go-to scripture was Jesus’ healing encounter with the blind man (John 9). Not only was this my eye-opening, eternity-changing, gospel revolution, but it’s a clear and simple concept to share with others: I may not totally understand everything about the Christian faith, but I do know that “though I was blind, now I see. (John 9:25). So, what do I see? Well, no matter how hard I tried to fill that God-shaped hole in my soul (and heaven knows, I tried everything), my pining was for peace with God—the righting of a relationship with Him that is broken because of sin. And we can never be or do good enough to fix that! God requires perfect righteousness, and that’s impossible for us. But God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and then die the death we deserve—paying the penalty for our sin. Then He rose again, victorious over death and sin, making a way of reconciliation with God (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 2:18-20). You and I don’t have to work for or earn this saving grace—it’s a free gift! This, dear friend, is the gospel. 

And, because I do love a good visual aid, I got a tattoo about 15 years ago that testified to the gospel. It exclaims: “I am paid in full.” But the word is in Greek, which I thought would instigate all kinds of opportunities to share the Truth of Jesus. Yeah, doesn’t really happen. But, for me, it was a necessary permanent proclamation in stark contrast to my first tattoo, which I designed to illustrate the lie I used to believe, that all world religions were just different paths to God…who, ultimately, is you. (This was all well before the “COEXIST” bumper sticker was a thing.)

Over the past few years, as I’ve been diving deeper into the Apostle Paul’s epistles and other New Testament books—and as my walk with the Lord has also been deepening—my understanding of the gospel and my own story continues to solidify (called “sanctification”). Yes, I was blind, and the Lord opened my eyes to the Truth. However, the older I get in my faith, it’s also gets clearer and clearer to me that I was not just blind—I was dead (Ephesians 2:1). I was darkness—not just in darkness (Ephesians 5:8). A walking dead person in this world and destined to be eternally dead (and suffering) outside the presence of God. When we give our lives over to Christ, we are made new—we are brought to life and to light (Ephesians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Now, I love me some Apostle Paul for a gazillion reasons. But I have a special affinity for his book to the Ephesians. Particularly chapter 2, verses 1-10. It not only shares the gospel (we are saved by grace through faith, not by works), but it beautifully tells of my story—and yours. We were dead, and now we’re alive in Christ! And it all hinges on one of the most beautiful phrases in the entire Bible: BUT GOD. 

A new illustrative depiction started forming in my mind. It went through many iterations, various church-notebook sketches. But then I landed on something and wasn’t able to let it go. So, now I have a new visual aid on my right upper arm. It is my story. It is the gospel. And it’s all because of the rich mercy and great love of God. Like any good visual aid, it lends to understanding, remembrance, and explanation. And whether or not people ask me about my new tattoo, I pray it gives me the boldness to share its Truth with the multitudes of walking dead around me.

Lord, whether saved at age 5 or 55, every one of us has a story like the blind man who was healed by Jesus. May we have the boldness to share Your great love, mercy, and grace with others—with or without a visual aid.

Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.   8:36

John 8:36

Freedom. As we celebrate Independence Day, we all certainly think about this concept. And no matter your political persuasion, we are in fact citizens of the freest nation on the planet—and we express our gratitude with amazing fireworks displays, from handheld sparklers to sky-brightening explosions of color. The liberty we enjoy is truly a privilege not to be taken for granted.

As Christians, we possess another kind of liberty. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, surrendering our lives to Him, He makes us free. We are released from our bondage to sin (Galatians 3:22). See, because of the Fall, we have a sin nature—a propensity to be self-seeking and idolatrous. You may hear the sentiment that humans are “good”…but we don’t have to teach our small children to lie or be selfish, now do we? Our kids—like us—are just little sinners. (Romans 3:23). But God made a way.

When we’re set free in Christ, we certainly don’t become sinless. We just don’t want to sin anymore—we don’t pursue it. We’re no longer slaves to sin, fear, and unrighteousness. We become slaves to God, pursuing holiness as we traverse toward our heavenly destination (Romans 6:22). And through the challenges and fiery trials of this life (because they will happen), we can freely approach the throne of grace with confidence, bringing our fears, anxieties, and burdens to the Lord (Ephesians 3:12).

The question is, are we walking in our freedom? Through the tumult of work, kids, health issues, social media, etc., do we recognize that our feet are no longer stuck in the mire of despair, discouragement, and worry about our circumstances? Do we renew our minds in the reality of our liberty, and grasp on to the joy, hope, and peace promised us in God’s Word? In our freedom, do we choose to serve others and glorify God instead of serving self?

One day, we’ll no longer struggle with our sinful flesh—we’ll have no more sorrow or pain (Revelation 21:4). But even now, we cannot forget the truth of our liberty in Christ. It’s an attitude of freedom, despite our circumstances. An acknowledgement that we have overcome because Jesus paid for our freedom. We may perceive to have shackles around our wrists and ankles…but, friends, they are unlocked! 

Americans are blessed to have our current liberties in our nation. Most cultures around the world certainly don’t share in this. But—praise God—true freedom isn’t provided by any government or legislation. The Son makes us free.

So, let me ask: Are you free indeed?

Lord, let me never take for granted the freedom You gave me through Your sacrifice on Calvary. Help me drop my chains of sin and shame and walk with You in liberty.