Where God's Word Meets My Mess
At first, I wasn’t super impressed with The Chosen. I thought the episodes ended really well, but the episodes seemed long and drawn out up until the ending. I didn’t really feel like continuing to watch the show. But I did. And I’m so glad that I did. Here are five reasons why you should watch it, too.
While I appreciate the fact that Finding You didn’t have any sex scenes, I was disappointed by how unrealistic the plotline was. Main character Finley Sinclair had an unbelievably happy ending to her story. After all, what average American student actually studies abroad in Ireland, meets a handsome single actor who is smitten with her, and ends up earning a spot in the Manhattan Conservatory of Music? None that I know.
I fully believe that true Christians will bear fruit. And that fruit will be obvious to other people, like faithfulness and joy and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). But I don’t believe we are on the deadline that we give ourselves.
Maybe it’s just me…but I feel anything but free on this Independence Day. Instead of feeling free, we now feel like prisoners. Wearing our masks. Limiting our gatherings to 10 people. Staying six feet apart. Quarantining in our homes. I haven’t felt free since mid-March of this year. But I didn’t lose my freedom when the coronavirus hit. Neither did you.
Starting to wonder if I should have stayed, questioning ev’ry decision I’d made, hoping that, somehow, I’d find a safe place, but doubting that I could survive this escape.
Though we often try to follow the example of “good” Bible characters, such as Joseph, Daniel, and Paul, we must first and foremost follow Christ’s example. Even “good” Bible characters sinned against God...and so do we.
This momentous day can remind us of the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our freedom. As Christians, we are no longer bound by sin and the devil.
The words of this poem come from the Gospel accounts of Christ's death. I hope this poem demonstrates that Christ died for us—and for everyone involved in His crucifixion—not because we deserved it but because He loves us with an immeasurable, everlasting love.
There are so many things I need to do that I’m not doing. I need to do more, try harder, be better…but I’m not. If I set New Year’s resolutions for 2019, I’ll set myself up to fail. I can’t and won’t live up to my standards—or even God’s standards. As soon as I look away from my list of resolutions—or maybe even while I’m still writing them—I’ll fail.
