Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

*This is a repost, but I was reminded of it after having dinner with friends the other night. Enjoy!*

Has it happened to you? You’re enjoying a delicious dinner out with friends, talking and laughing the hours away. A few sweet teas into the evening, you hit the restroom and gaze at your reflected smile…only to see a big green hunk of spinach between your teeth. The mirror has shown you what your friends didn’t tell you—and you couldn’t see.

So, we take down the mirror off the wall and use it to clean our teeth, right? Of course not! The mirror only reveals the problem, it doesn’t fix it. 

This is a perfect analogy for God’s law. Throughout the Bible, the Jews were trying to use the law to achieve a level of holiness that would be acceptable to God. Even today, followers of nearly every world religion—and many Christians—believe the “rules” are steppingstones to salvation. 

But sisters and brothers, the law was never meant to be the way to God. Our Father in heaven is perfect, and He requires nothing less than perfection. So striving for rule-following, no matter how hard we try, will fail. Humans are not perfect, and we are incapable of following God’s law with perfect righteousness. 

Just like the bathroom mirror that reveals food caught in your teeth, the law is meant to show us we are not good enough for a perfect, Holy God. His law shows us how unrighteous we really are, so we’ll run to the only One Who is perfect. Jesus came to this earth, fully God and fully man, to fulfill the law perfectly. He lived the life we could not live and paid the price for our sinfulness. Because he died for us and rose again, we are able to accept His gift of grace and be made perfect in God’s eyes. 

The mirror cannot remove the spinach from our teeth. But it was necessary to recognize there was a problem—a big hunk of green. And trying to follow God’s rules will not remove the stain of sin from our lives. The law shows us there’s a problem (our sinfulness and unholiness)…but Jesus Christ is the only way we can be washed as white as snow. 

“Lord, there is only one way for us to perfectly reflect You—by accepting what Jesus did on my behalf. Thank you for revealing my sin and for paying the price.”

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.” 

Luke 17:20

A sweet sister and I were recently talking about our Christian walks, and the walks of our respective spouses and children. Now, as believers, having done our best to raise our children to love and serve the Lord, it’s heartbreaking to watch a child (or spouse) turn off the narrow path and begin meandering down the wide road with the masses. Maybe, though, it’s the person looking back at you in the mirror who, like the young man in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), was engaged in “wild living,” squandering everything you have.

As my friend and I shared hard-learned lessons with each other, it dawned on me that every one of us can be compared with the guy in that familiar lost-and-found story Jesus told the crowd made up of His followers and haters. The only difference among us stems from exactly when in the process we actually come to our senses (v 17). 

When you read the parable, which has numerous profound teachings, you’ll see that the young man decided to do life his way, giving in to every fleshy whim and chasing momentary, hollow satisfaction. For him, it was only when he was literally and figuratively spent, starving, and working in a pigsty that he realized he needed to return to his father. He had, as we say today, hit rock bottom. This is the moment he came to his senses, knowing he needed to turn back (repent). But if you think about his path to the pit, from that first step taken off his dad’s property to standing with the pigs, the guy could have come to his senses at any time, curtailing his loss and pain the sooner he turned around.

If you’re already saved, whether it was at age 10, 20, 30, or 70, you were once walking in the ways of this world, pursuing self-pleasure and the idol of “me,” when at some point you realized you were lost. You turned back to the Father, and He ran to you with a compassionate embrace, welcoming you Home. (And when you did, there was a huge heavenly party in your honor.) The thing is, some of us took a few steps off the proverbial front porch and thought, “Nope, I know it’s better here, so I think I’ll stay under my Daddy’s roof.” Some of us started hanging out with other world-pursuing people, experienced the my-way life, and soon realized where that road would lead. Others of us, however, heartily pursued the “it’s-my-party” life, filling that God-shaped soul-hole with things, people, or substances that only made that hole wider and deeper. It was only when we found ourselves in the pit of despair and brokenness, that we had no other place to look for rescue than up. But, praise God, we came Home to the amazing grace and mercy of the Father.

If you’ve not yet made the decision to turn off the wide road and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, where are you now? Are you walking with the crowds thinking everything is fine, not knowing the end of that road is destruction? Maybe you’re in the midst of a “good time,” with a plastered smile on your face but a hollow heart. Perhaps you’re sitting in the pigsty at this very moment. Friend, the Father is waiting for you to turn back. Come to your senses now. Set your eyes on Him…and He will run to you with a loving embrace and welcome you Home.

Lord, what an amazing thing it is that You love us and are waiting with open arms. May we run into your embrace daily.

And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Ephesians 2:17-18

Despite the fact that I can’t play any instrument and I’m not the greatest singer, music has always been a passion of mine. In fact, for decades I was a hardcore concert goer. Beginning at age 12, I started seeing my favorite bands and solo artists perform, in venues from huge stadiums to intimate clubs. In all those years of hundreds of shows, one thing I have never been privileged to have is one of those “all-access” passes. You know, that special lanyard that grants you entrance backstage with all the roadies…and even affords you the opportunity to meet the object (or objects) of your fanaticism.

So, what makes one worthy of such prestigious access? Most of the time, it comes down to money—if you pay enough, you get access. Other times, it’s about who you know. Your uncle Joe knows the brother of the stage manager (who owes him a favor), so you end up with that priceless tag around your neck. Next thing you know, you’re face to face with some rock god you’ve obsessed about for years.

Friend, here is an amazing truth: As a believer, you have been granted access to God Himself. In fact, you have an all-access pass to go boldly to His throne at any time. And at the end of your earthly journey, you will literally be face to face with Him. But, unlike a stage pass for some musical show, you cannot pay any price for this access—nothing you can do can earn you that proverbial lanyard. The Christian’s all-access pass, however, is acquired by that “who-you-know” route. 

See, for every individual, there is just one way to gain this entrée to God’s presence—one Person to know. The moment you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are presented before the throne of God the Father (no interceding roadies, gatekeepers, or ticket-takers). Jesus paid the cost—a price we could never afford—so we can stand in perfect holy righteousness before the Creator. All we have to do is ask.

Why not reach out and accept your all-access pass today? Just acknowledge that your brokenness and sin separate you from God. Then, turn from your old ways and accept the free gift of grace from Jesus who has made a way for you. On the cross and through His resurrection victory over death, He has exchanged your sin for His righteousness, so you can have restored access (relationship) to God.

Jesus, thank You for living a life I could not live and paying a debt I could never afford, providing me with an all-access-for-eternity pass to God.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.

Philippians 1:9-10

The word “sincere” is defined as being free of deceit, hypocrisy, or falseness; it is to be genuine, real, and pure. Now, I’m pretty confident that most of us want sincerity to be an essential (and proven) characteristic of our spouse, children, friends, boss, etc. None of us secretly hopes that our best friend makes a habit of lying to us, or that our coworker smiles and chats pleasantly with us only to turn around and badmouth us to another team member.

Sadly, our culture today doesn’t blink at dishonesty—just watch the news. And social media is all about promoting falseness and “un-realism,” from filtered Instagram selfies to impossibly perfect Pinterest desserts. But what about us? As much as we desire sincerity from others (and detest their insincerity), do we live out pure authenticity ourselves?

God’s Word is very clear in exhorting Christians to live, love, and serve with sincerity (Philippians 1:10, Joshua 24:14, 1 Peter 1:22, Colossians 3:22). Modern dictionary definitions aside, there is an interesting oral tradition from antiquity that the word “sincere” actually comes from the Latin words “sine” and “cera”—which together mean “without wax.” According to commentary on Philippians 1:10 from John MacArthur’s Study Bible:

In the ancient world, dishonest pottery dealers filled cracks in their inferior products with wax before glazing and painting them, making worthless pots difficult to distinguish from expensive ones. The only way to avoid being defrauded was to hold the pot to the sun, making the wax-filled cracks obvious. Dealers marked their fine pottery that could withstand “sun testing” as sine cera. 

Think about that. What a meaningful parallel that is for our life! Once we surrender to Jesus, we strive to be more like Him every day. (Of course, we only reach perfection once we are in heaven, but the goal on this earth is to more closely resemble Jesus as we become more mature in the faith.) So, as we walk out our salvation, our lives are to withstand not “sun testing” but “Son testing.” To ensure purity, truth, and sincerity, we can hold our thoughts, words, actions, and decisions up to the Light—Jesus (John 8:12). 

Friends, let’s make it a point to live wax-free. When the angel of light (Satan) tries to blind us with the shiny things of this world, may we prove strong and unyielding. When the blazing heat of tempting sin beats down on us, may our faith not melt away. And when we hold up our life to the glorious Light of our Lord and Savior, may it reflect His beauty back onto us.

Lord, help me to walk in sincerity through this world that elevates lying, cheating, and hypocrisy. Let me live according to Your example. 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

Do you love to travel? Most of us probably do (at least we did, when we were allowed to move about freely). We love to visit unfamiliar places, discovering what’s special about that town, state, or country. But no matter where our adventures were taking us, we had to create a travel plan and map out the route to our destination. This used to entail reading paper maps (then figuring out how to refold them—can I get a witness?). Then, it evolved to looking up direction on the computer and printing them. Now, our smartphones not only pull up maps for us, but a programmed voice of our choice will tell us step-by-step turns until we arrive. 

But, at the end of the day, we still need some sort of routed directions. 

Life itself is like that as well. The distance between our original location (birth) to our final earthly destination (death) is one long journey. And it’s not too far into the trip when we start hitting forks in the road—choices to be made as to which direction to take. Try weed with your middle school friends or not…say “no” to the sexualized status of today’s teen years or go along with the crowd…choose among colleges to attend—or choose not to go…job A or job B…live together (because who needs a piece of paper?) or get married in purity…you get the point. Our life maps are as complex as those paper-map insets of large cities—every few steps, there seems to be another directional choice.

But, friends, there is a clear and definitive roadmap for life—the Bible. And it comes directly from the One who created life itself (not to mention your unique purposeful life). From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, there are 66 books filled with inerrant, God-inspired truth and guidance for the journey. The Bible is not some outdated, irrelevant antiquity. It’s archeologically proven, scientifically sound, and morally unblemished. It rigorously defines the safest, surest, most joy-filled route to take. You could call it “Route 66.”

Psalm 119 (the longest chapter in the Bible) is dedicated to explaining why to follow God’s Word—from the benefits of doing so to the consequences of going off-course. Here are just a few truths from this Psalm describing the results of going God’s way:

• We will not be unjust. 
• We will not be ashamed.
• We will walk in purity.
• We will be joyful.
• We will find counsel.
• We will be comforted.
• We will be strengthened.
• We will walk in liberty.

And those are just some of the truths from verses 1-45. There are another 131 verses to go in the chapter.

Of course, even when we follow God’s Word through life, we’ll still have choices—lots of them—along the way. But because the Mapmaker is our perfect, holy, loving, all-knowing God, you cannot make a bad turn if you follow Route 66.

Thank You, Lord, for Your Word. May I be always intentional about making it the light to my path through this world.

In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4b-6)

When we adopted our son, he was grafted into our family forever. Of course, we loved and adored him the moment he entered our lives as a foster child, but it was when the judge’s gavel struck the bench that he officially became a Smith. From that moment, because he was no longer part of the state’s system, there was no difference between him and our older son in terms of privilege, resources, protection, discipline, and (as small or nonexistent as it might be) inheritance. 

He is our child in every way imaginable.

The one thing, however, we could not give him was our nature—our DNA-driven features (good or bad). I could not pass on my Italian olive complexion or hazel eyes. His skin is a gorgeous brown, but it differs markedly from mine and his dad’s. And within the ever-present medical debates about nature vs. nurture, I can tell you that, on the side of nurture, he picked up plenty of characteristics (and character) growing up Smith.

Friend, when you give your life to Jesus, accepting salvation by grace through faith alone, you become a child of God, adopted into His family (John 1:12-13, Gal 4:4-5, Rom 8:14-17)! When we are born again into this new forever family, Christians become co-heirs with Christ, given every privilege, resource, and inheritance from God the Father. This is an amazing, glorious thing, especially looking forward to our heavenly future with Jesus.

But, unlike the limitation of human adoption to share DNA characteristics, when we are grafted into God’s family, He also miraculously bestows on us His very nature. We are given the righteousness of Jesus to replace our unrighteousness. We are made a completely new creation, transformed into the very image of Christ! Given the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit—the same power that raised Jesus from the dead—we are able to live out (albeit not perfectly in this world) the “nurture AND nature” characteristics of our Lord. As we walk closer with God through His Word, we look more and more like Him.

And what’s more awe-inspiring, is that when our Heavenly Father looks at us, He doesn’t see our fallen, sinful nature. To Him, through our adoption, we are wholly and perfectly righteous, transformed by the blood of Jesus. Our adoptive Abba (Daddy) not only gives us everything He has…He has given us the proverbial DNA of Christ.

Lord, thank you for the privilege of being called Your child. Help me always remember who I am in You and glorify You through my words and action.

(Love) does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

1 Corinthians 13:5

Even if you’re not digging into God’s Word regularly, you’ve probably attended a wedding (maybe even your own) where 1 Corinthians 13 was read—it’s the familiar love chapter. In these verses the apostle Paul describes what “agape” love looks like. Agape is one of the many Greek words for love and connotes an unconditional, choice-driven love for others. And it’s a very big ask for us sin-laden humans.

Although the entire chapter delivers a depth and breadth of meaning that could—and has—filled books, I want to home in on one little phrase that packs a huge punch: “it (love) keeps no record of wrongs.” 

This inherently carries with it the exhortation to forgive. And the Bible has a lot to say about this topic (Eph 4:23, Mark 11:25, Matt 6:15, Col 3:13—just to name a few). But avoiding recordkeeping, well, that takes it to another level: it demands that we forgive and forget. You may be thinking, “Yeah, that’s not for me…how can I ever win an argument if the hatchet I buried long ago doesn’t have the handle easily accessible, so I can grab it and swing as needed?” 

Friend, if you are a Christ-follower, saved by faith through the amazing grace of Jesus, your record is clean and clear. When you recognized that your sin separated you from God, and you believed that Jesus paid the price of restoration, all your sins were forgiven (past, present, and future). More than that, they are forgotten (Jer 31:34, Hebrews 8:12)—God does not bring them up again. (Satan will, but that’s another story altogether.) When God opens His record book to your name, the countless items that should be there are gone, erased by the blood of Jesus. Your record, and mine, has been expunged.

As Christians, we are called to walk through this world taking intentional steps to be more like Jesus. This includes loving others with agape love. It means forgiving your spouse and not tucking the incident away for an opportune time to pull it out. It’s recognizing the Lord’s new mercies toward us every morning (Lam 3:22-23) and extending that to our children, friends, and coworkers. It means burying the entire hatchet—no digging up allowed.

Our record is clean, thanks to Jesus. And we’ve been given the Holy Spirit to help us forgive—and forget—in the same way. I’m not saying it’s easy…but how about it? Let’s grab our own proverbial pencil and start erasing those lists we’ve been keeping.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Before that show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” was a thing, there was an original version not many may remember called “Extreme Makeover.” Basically, someone would leave their loved ones and start a journey of transformation with a team of health, medical, and beauty experts. And it was very extreme—from cosmetic dentistry and laser eye surgery to minimal food and maximum exercise, no aspect of their physical self was left unchanged. (We watched it weekly…it was kind of a train wreck, but it was hard to look away.) Sadly, if you read any of those “where are they now” sites, you’ll see that these participants’ lives were not miraculously improved just because their outside was changed. Often relationships worsened, physical problems ensued, the weight came back, etc. 

But, friend, did you know that God has planned for each of us our very own extreme makeover? Unlike the TV show, though, the transformation we undergo is from the inside out—and we’re forever changed for the better. No professionals needed…just God’s perfect Word. So, what are some steps to realize a whole new you?

• Turn away from what was—and start moving in a new direction.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:18-19); Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:19)

• Put on a fresh wardrobe—clothe yourself with righteousness.

I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a groom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

• Get your eyes fixed—on the Lord.

For my eyes are toward You, God, the Lord; In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.

• Get a facelift—change your countenance with the joy of salvation. 

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:11); Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:12)

• Apply a new perfume—the sweet aroma of Christ.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God… (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

After a physical makeover, it’s understandable to want to keep a mirror handy to admire the “new you.” But when we’re transformed by faith in Jesus and made new in Him, the mirror we use changes as well. Instead of gazing at self, “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Transformation is a prayer away—why not choose to be renewed today?

Father, thank you that when we surrender to You, we don’t stay the same!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Around the world, generally speaking, crime is punished and justice is served. There’s a deeper philosophical question in there as to what constitutes a “crime” and the associated penalties paid for those respective crimes—let alone the warped evolution of the concept of “justice.” But we’re going to talk at higher levels—much higher, as you’ll see.

Although no earthly justice system is perfect, when a societal law is broken, payment must be made. If you’re caught speeding, you pay the fine. If you’re convicted of theft or assault, you’ll likely spend time in jail. Often, the perpetrator must make monetary restitution to the victim, compensating for what has been taken (property, health, even life). 

But no matter the standard of “right” we may be working from, most of us can agree that if that standard is violated, some action or payment must be made for true justice to be served. And by the literal definition of justice, this is certainly true.

Did you know, brothers and sisters, that the True and Living God is, by definition, a just God (Isaiah 61:8, Ecclesiastes 3:17; Hebrews 10:30)? He is perfectly Holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 15:4), and He cannot tolerate the slightest unrighteousness (sin) in His presence—only perfection. 

Are you perfect? I’m certainly not! None of us are (Romans 3:23). So, what’s God’s penalty for sin—any and every sin, not just the “really bad ones”? Death. Not the death of our bodies at the end of our earthly lifetime, but rather spiritual death: eternal suffering in hell (Romans 6:3; Revelation 21:8). Payment for sin is required, and it will be paid.

But, friend, Someone has already paid that penalty on your behalf! Jesus (fully God) came to earth (fully man) to live the perfect life we could never live. And then, He died the death we deserve, taking the full penalty for every sinner for all time and transferring His perfect righteousness to our account. In fact, His last word on Calvary’s cross was “Tetelestai”—it is finished, the debt has been satisfied (John 19:30). A Great Exchange was made in that moment, His robe of righteousness for our filthy rags. 

Do we automatically become sinless upon our acceptance of this free and gracious gift? Nope. But we are made free from the bondage of sin, and we’re given the Holy Spirit to help us walk through this world in closer and closer alignment with God’s Word and His will. And when we do leave this world through physical death and are brought before the Holiest of Holy judges, we can stand in His presence unafraid and unstained—in unbridled joy!  

Any wrongdoing—from a lustful thought to a heinous murder—requires penalty. None of us has a proverbial “Get out of hell free” card based on our own actions (or goodness). It is simply not possible in our fallen humanity. But we’ve been given that great gift through Jesus Christ. And if we accept what He did on our behalf, our souls are forever stamped “paid in full.” 

Father, if there is just one reading this today who has not yet accepted the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, I pray this moment will change their eternal destination.

Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 

John 6:68

You’ve probably heard it from many people in your life—believers and unbelievers alike, “How could a good God do this!?” And as a result of their anger, a shift occurs. Sometimes it’s gradual, a slow walking away. Other times, it’s like a slammed door in the face of the Almighty.

Maybe this is you. A hurt was experienced, and bitterness set in. Without forgiveness (toward another or self), the seed is planted. Soon, it’s rooted, settling into a seething (yet, oddly comfortable) anger that fashions a veil through which you see life. And certainly, you conclude, God is ultimately to blame.

But friend, God is never to blame. In fact, the Gardener of our soul is the only one who can free us from the agonizing entanglement we created. See, life was not meant to be hard or painful. God created it unspoiled, for our perfect enjoyment. But man, given free will to love and obey God’s Holy order, decided to pursue self-idolatry, breaking the relationship with the Creator. Because of this (sin), creation is now fallen—full of broken people running after other broken people and worldly things to find lasting peace. This never works though. People will fail us and hurt us. And if we turn to the toxic narrative of self-love, it’s like trying to pour yourself a glass of refreshing tea from an empty pitcher.

Nothing of this world can adequately fill the soul-level hole we all have. Instead, we must turn away from ourselves, others, and stuff and recognize there’s only one Way to peace, contentment, and joy: Jesus Christ. Relational restoration with God comes in believing the Gospel—that Jesus lived, died, and rose again to exchange our sin for His righteousness. When we put our faith in Jesus, we can rely on His completeness to replace our brokenness, emptiness, and selfishness. Because we are forgiven, we forgive. Because we’ve been given grace and mercy, we extend those to others. Because we are perfectly loved, we love. 

Life is difficult and the world will have troubles—Jesus said so Himself. But He has overcome the world so that we can have peace and joy (John 16:33). 

Beloved, have you turned away from Him in anger or resentment? Are you desperately grasping for something or someone to be a balm for your pain? Have you bought into the lie that the answer is “within you”? Turn (or turn back) to Jesus today. He has not only made a way of eternal restoration with the Father, but He will help you walk through this world on your way Home. As He promises in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”