Growing up in church, Jesus was often compared to these fairytale heroes— making me the princess. I didn’t hate it. After all, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine were strong, independent, and intelligent. Sure, they needed physical or emotional rescuing at some point, but they ultimately played some part in defeating the enemy.
 
Now that I have a deeper understanding of the Gospel, I realize that’s not at all how God’s love story works. I love Paul’s rich letter to the church at Rome, in which he thoroughly and beautifully unpacks the doctrine of salvation to new believers.
 
In Romans, He says, “…rarely will someone die for a just person— though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (5:6-8)
 
In these verses, Paul makes it clear that when we were saved:

• We were completely helpless. In Ephesians 2:1, Paul uses the verbiage “we were dead” in our sins. I’ve never known a dead person capable of doing anything for themselves.
  
• We were completely unlovely and undeserving. The prophet Isaiah said even our best deeds are like “filthy (menstrual) rags” to God (Isaiah 64:6). While this is a pretty gross image, it’s one that sticks. We are sin-bent and hell-bound from birth, in the light of God’s holiness.

 
These aren’t the most uplifting facts I’ve ever heard about myself. There’s a prideful part of me that likes to think my good works played a part in the story, or that He chose me because of what I could bring to the table.
 
But Jesus didn’t rescue me because of any of those things. He rescued me simply because of His love for Me. That’s humbling.
 
There is only one hero in God’s love story, and it’s not us— it’s Jesus.
 
Knowing this truth gives us freedom. If God’s love and grace for us is completely unmerited, then it’s not on us to sustain it. This doesn’t give us a free ticket to do whatever we please— As Christ-followers, He invites us into His Great Story.
 
I’m often prone to get a big head about this, too. I constantly have to remind myself I’m not the hero.
 
Here are some signs I’m making too much of myself:
 
I compare myself and my ministry to others.
I feel chained by my Christian “to-do list.”
I allow fear to keep me from what I know God is asking me to do.
 
Friend, have you made yourself the hero in God’s story? It’s time to give Jesus back His rightful place. Have you doubted Jesus’ affections for you? Remember there’s nothing you did to earn His love, and there’s nothing you can do to lose it.
 
God’s story is greater than any story Disney (or Lifetime) could ever produce, or that our minds could ever fully conceive. Give thanks to the One True Hero for all He’s done. Go, and grow His Kingdom.
 
 

I can’t remember exactly when I discovered her tribute, tucked away in the center of my Bible, but from that day forward I knew I wanted to be just like her. I made my to-do list and set out to be the best Christian wife and mom I could be. But all my efforts seemed to produce was a life that was far from “abundant” (John 10:10). It was completely exhausting.
 
Being like Ms. P was a noble goal, but the truth is that I had missed the point completely.
 
In the same way, the day I visited Angel Oak, I had overlooked a key fact. Underneath the soil I stood on were miles upon miles of root systems. The existence of those unseen roots made everything that was seen so exquisite and awe-inspiring.
 
In the same way, if we read to the end of Proverbs 31, we find the not-so-secret secret to her admirable qualities: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.”
 
Underneath the strong, successful, secure, smart, and sympathetic woman everyone could see was something greater— a root system which fueled her every word and deed: fear of the Lord.  This “fear” the author writes about is not the feeling of terror. When the Bible talks about “fear of the Lord,” it’s referring to an awe-filled reverence in response to who God is.
 
Ms. P rooted her life in Him. The Amplified version elaborates, “reverently worshipping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him...” As a result, her good works were not manufactured at the cost of her own exhaustion— they were simply the natural product of God’s work within.
 
Good works are meant to be the fruit of our relationship with God, not the root of it.
 
Friend, God wants to bless you, and make you a blessing to others. He wants the world to stand in awe “for the display of his splendor” (Isaiah 61:3). God never intended for us to strive. He longs for us to rest in Him. This doesn’t mean we quit trying. It means we put our effort into the right thing: shifting from the shaky soil of self-reliance to fully trusting in Him.
 
Are you thriving in Christ, or striving in exhaustion? Are you positioning yourself to experience God, or are you focused on production?
 
There is freedom when we remain in Him. We don’t have to have to have all the answers. We don’t have to will ourselves to be better. We don’t have to put on a happy-Christian-mom “mask” and pretend like we have it all together. When we couldn’t do anything for ourselves, Jesus came with a rescue plan. He is the Author and He will be the Perfecter of our faith.
 
Find rest in that truth, today, friend, and “let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on him.” (Colossians 2:7)

1. Select a lamb or goat from among their flock and bring it into the house to live with them for a while
2. Kill said lamb or goat
3. Spread its blood over the doorposts of the home
4. Cook and eat the flesh

 
Then, and only then, would they be saved from God’s wrath about to be poured out on the Egyptians. And this event wasn’t just meant to be a one-time ordeal, God told them to observe “Passover” indefinitely, in the first month of each year.
 
So what is the deal with all of the blood in the Bible?
 
If you remember back to when Adam and Eve first sinned, the scriptures tell us they became filled with shame. In an attempt to hide that sin and shame, they covered themselves with leaves. But God provided another, more complete covering— animal skins. This was the very first sacrifice, but it wouldn’t be the last. Sin had a price tag, and that price tag was death (Romans 6:23).
 
Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.”
 
The sacrifice of specific animals (depending on the offense) became the only way for peace with God, or atonement (reparation for sin).
 
Fast-forward back to Exodus and this first Passover actually paints a beautiful picture of salvation. The blood on the doorposts set apart the Israelite people. While the Egyptians suffered the consequences of their sin and hardened hearts, those who trusted in the blood of the unblemished lamb were saved from destruction.
 
Hundreds of years later, on the night Jesus was crucified, He celebrated Passover with His disciples. Little did they know they were sitting with the Spotless Lamb who was about to pay the price for their sins and save them from destruction once and for all.
 
Animal sacrifice was our insufficient attempt to cover our sin and shame, but God, once again, provided the complete covering we needed. The shedding of His perfect blood didn’t just cover the sins of one man— it covered the sins of every man who would put their trust in Him.
 
The price for our rebellion and disobedience was death. Jesus’ blood paid that debt.
 
Friends, we can rest in this assurance:

• Jesus’ blood covers every sin. Past, present, future. Fully and completely. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who put their trust in Him.

 

• Jesus’ blood saves us from destruction. The cost for our sin was death, and Jesus paid it all. We can rest assured that Jesus is preparing us a place in eternity with Him.

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• Jesus’ blood allows us to commune with Him directly. We don’t need a middle-man. We, personally, can approach His throne of grace with confidence.

 
Weak stomach or not, that’s reason to celebrate. Let’s slow down, acknowledge, and give thanks for all He has done, today.

I don’t know about you, but I get a little sad every time I read the opening of Genesis. As a middle child, I’ve never been a fan of conflict. Knowing the impending doom of Adam and Eve’s decision makes me want to fast-forward to the end of the script, when Jesus swoops in to make all things right again.
 
However, I believe it’s important that we pause here because we can all learn an important lesson. In chapter three we meet the enemy of our souls, Satan. If there’s one thing I know to be true about him it’s that thousands of years later he’s still using the same tactics. When we know our enemy, we can know how to fight him.
 
Let’s jump in at verse one. 
 
One day [the serpent] asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 
 
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
 
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
 
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it..." (Genesis 3:1-6 NLT)
 
Let’s rewind and walk through what just happened. The first time Satan questions Eve, she responds by repeating God’s words back to Him.
 
But Satan counters back a second time, and plants a seed of distrust. Is God really looking out for your best interest, or is He holding out? He appeals to Eve’s thoughts, desires, and feelings. This time we see a vast difference in Eve’s response— she becomes convinced.
 
Oh, how often I’ve seen this play out in my own life. Here’s just one example:
 
“Did God really say you have to go to church every Sunday?”
 
“Not exactly. He did say not to neglect meeting together.” (Heb. 10:25)
 
“You read your Bible every day and listen to online sermons. Times have changed since that verse was written. God doesn’t understand how busy you are.” 
 
Satan’s calling card has always been deception. He knows better than to feed us blatant lies, so He takes the truth and taints it. Then he serves it up with a side of distrust. Naively, we fall for his off-color bait.
 
Friend, is there an off-white lie you’ve accepted as truth? To our own eyes, everything looks “right white” (good).
 
In the same way I had to hold up my “white” samples next to Ultra Pure White to see that they weren’t true, so we must hold up every thought that enters our minds to the purity of God’s Character and Word. When we fix our minds on Who God is and what He says, we will become quicker to recognize anything contrary.