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redeeming

Questions 2 Day 3 All Roads

January 27, 2021 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 14
John 1:1-18 
Genesis 1
Romans 3:9-26

Questions 2, Day 3

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

These words, spoken by Jesus in John 14:6, are the foundation of Christianity. In this statement, Jesus disputes the arguments of many religions both in His time and ones to come. A non-Christian coworker told me, “All religions are basically the same. They all lead to heaven.” But is that really true? Do all the different roads of faith lead to that one coveted destination, heaven and eternal life with God?

In short, no. Let’s go back to John 14:6 and note the word choice. Jesus says He is the way, the truth, the life. He says we can only get to heaven and thus, God the Father, through Him. There is one road. And His name is Jesus.  

So, why is Jesus the road?

Well, let’s go back to the very beginning of the Bible, Genesis. The first verse, Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” No Jesus there, right?

But verse 26 (emphasis mine) says, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.”
So God was not by Himself, but who was with Him?

John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” To further identify this person, we look at verse 4, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Remember John 14:6? Jesus said He is the life.

What about the light? Well, in John 8:12, Jesus tells us He is the light of the world. Now we’ve learned Jesus is the light, the life, and the Word who was with Father God at creation. 

But we know there had to be another present at creation, because Jesus speaks of Him later in John 14. He tells us of the Holy Spirit, whom He refers to as “another Counselor” (John 14:16) and “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17).

The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Holy Trinity. He is our counselor, who is also holy and divine. As the Spirit of Truth, he empowers us to live godly lives.

When we accept Jesus as the way, the truth and the life, Father God then sends us the Holy Spirit to help us live for Him and like Jesus.

This is important because many other religions are performance-based. In some, when you die, your “good deeds” are counted against your “bad deeds.” If the bad outweighs the good, you are reincarnated to “try again.” Others say that as you live each reincarnated life, you should become more humble and eventually you’ll earn salvation. In others, you have to stop desiring all things in order to stop suffering and earn enlightenment.

All these variations depend on you saving yourself.
It is your work and effort.
There is no helper like the Holy Spirit.
There is no Savior who sacrificed Himself to pay for your sins.
There is no Father God who loved you enough to make a way back to Him.
In every other religion, you are on your own, trying to figure out how to reach nirvana or enlightenment.

I don’t know about you, but this one life is quite enough. I don’t want a do-over, and certainly not an indefinite number of them. And as Christians we don’t need a do-over. Romans 3:10 tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
Thank God, hope is not lost because we do not need to manufacture our own righteousness. God already worked it out. John 1:14-16 explains that The Word (read: Jesus) came here to earth, dwelt among us, and gave us grace and truth.

Romans 3:22-26 gives us the details:
Every person sins and falls short of the glory of God.
The righteousness of God is given to us when we believe in Jesus Christ.
We are justified in God’s sight by God’s grace.
We receive God’s grace by the redeeming power of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross.
Our sins are eternally removed when we are justified by faith in Jesus.

We are saved, not by our own work, but by grace (Ephesians 2:8). We are never righteous, but righteousness becomes ours through Christ. It is Christ’s perfect righteousness that welcomes us to salvation. I’m so glad my entrance to eternal life is a one-time deal and it does not depend on my perfection! If it did, I’d never get in.

Speaking of heaven, we know we’ll see Jesus there. Romans 8:34 says, “Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.” No other religion teaches of being loved and cared for by God while we are here on earth. Jesus died for us, was resurrected, and went to be with God the Father. We will worship the fullness of the three-in-one God in heaven (Revelation 4:1-11). I look forward to offering praise in the very presence of God. I can’t wait to see His glory and be surrounded by His love. I hope you’ll join me!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Questions 2 Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Questions 2!

Posted in: Christ, Creation, Cross, God, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Life, Power, Praise, Truth Tagged: All Roads, light, One Road, presence, questions, redeeming, righteous, The Way, Word

Sketched VI Day 6 Cassidy

October 7, 2019 by Guest Writer Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

2 Thessalonians 1:2-7
2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Deuteronomy 31:1-8

Sketched VI, Day 6

 

I used to think my story was boring.
Just your typical, “I grew up in a Christian home, found Jesus, was baptized, and went on my merry way all before I entered second-grade,” kind of story.
Those things are true, but I’ve learned how the Lord uses every story–sensational or otherwise–to show His redeeming power. 

When I was six, my parents divorced. People often ask if I remember my parents when they were married, and the short answer is no.
I do, however, remember feeling confused.

How could you stop loving someone?
How could my mom file for divorce? 

A daddy’s girl at heart, I quickly jumped on board with whatever Dad had to say about my mom. His bitterness, blame, and judgement clouded how I saw my mom. As both of my parents remarried, I initially didn’t think my mom deserved to get remarried. In my mind, Mom was the enemy of my story, the reason nothing was as it was supposed to be.

Quite frankly, there wasn’t much spiritual fruit in my life when both parents got remarried. New siblings were born, I moved across town, and changed churches. Even though I wasn’t a fan of these changes, I can now see that God knew exactly what He was doing. 

After my first year in a new youth group, I attended summer camp. One of the evening sessions ended with a time of response. As the band played Come as You Are, leaders coached us through a time of reflection:
When had I felt like God abandoned me?
Easy.
There was no way He had been in the midst of my parents’ divorce. 

But, in those moments of honesty, God spoke into my brokenness.
“I was with you and I love you.”

Cue the tears. I came to God in the messy form of my teenage self.
He met me and redeemed my story.

That same week I forgave my mom in a prayer room and symbolically washed away the bitterness inside me. She wasn’t the enemy. The brokenness of a sinful world was to blame. God called me to forgiveness, and bitterness had become exhausting.

I really believe God redeemed my sinfulness at seven years old, but the Lord used those moments at camp to draw me back, renew our relationship, and awaken me to real life.
Church became the body of believers with whom I craved community.
Community group became the place where I dug into the Word and asked hard questions.
I began taking active steps of obedience toward Christ as He called out to me.

Several years later, in the same room at camp, after an incredible time of worshipping God, I sat down for another evening session. Even today, I can show you the page of notes where I quickly wrote the speaker’s arresting question:
“After a time of worship like that,
why are you not going where God has called you?”

I didn’t have to wait long for my answer.
From way out in left field, the Holy Spirit clearly called me to vocational ministry.
I told my friends and leaders, and headed home determined to chase this call.

And then I came down from the mountaintop experience.
I loved the teaching internship I’d started that fall.
Maybe I could minister to kids as a public school teacher.
I made plans to study elementary education, was accepted into a school, and even placed a housing deposit for the dorms.

God is a God of peace, and He gives peace when we walk in His call. Ephesians 6:23 says, “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I never had peace about pursuing education.
Just eight months before beginning classes, a family friend asked about my college plans. My lack of peace brought immediate tears and the Holy Spirit immediately convicted me for my lack of obedience in pursuing His calling over mine.

I went home and told my parents I needed to attend the undergrad program at our local seminary. There were a lot of questions, but peace set in quickly as I applied and scheduled a tour.

Here I sit, preparing for another year of school, on staff at my local church, and serving in many ways at church beyond my work roles.
Walking into ministry was, and still is, a scary pursuit for me.
I desire security.

Vocational ministry doesn’t provide monetary security.
There is no guarantee I will find “success” or that I’ll see the fruit of the seeds the Lord sows through me.

What I am guaranteed through seminary training is intense spiritual growth and preparation to walk confidently on the path He has laid out for me.
Deuteronomy 31:8 reminds us He goes before us and will not leave or forsake us.
I cling daily to this truth!

God uses our seemingly boring stories to display His glory and redemption.
He redeemed divorce and the bitterness that ensued
into a story of hope.
He redeemed my stubborn resistance to a scary ministry calling
into a story of His guidance and provision.

“So we set our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (
2 Corinthians 4:18)

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched VI Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Sketched VI!

Posted in: Forgiven, God, Jesus, Love, Power, Redemption, Sketched Tagged: bitterness, brokenness, Cassidy, confusion, redeeming, spiritual fruit, spoke, story

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14