Rescinded Grace
I have this tendency that I am largely unaware of, one that lies dormant within me for the vast majority of the time. I live and breathe with it, but its presence is not felt. I am in blissful ignorance.
Then something happens to stir it within me. Read the rest of this entry »
Unwavering at the Promise
“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” -Romans 4:20-21
This verse struck me because I often feel as though I doubt God’s goodness in my life. He has given me so much, blessed me so much, endured with me through so much, proved His love and faithfulness to me time and time again, and yet… Read the rest of this entry »
Settling.
There are two primary issues that impact every area of my life:
1) self-reliance
2) lack of faith
I rely on myself far too often. Why? ‘Cause usually I can get by. I know what people want/need to hear, I know how to assuage others anxieties. It leaves me with an impression of, “Hm, I can get it done!”
“What’s wrong with that?” you may ask. Read the rest of this entry »
The Lesser Known Wrath
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” – Romans 1:18
(PREFACE: People don’t often speak of the wrath of God, but it is in the Bible and ought to be spoken of. However, in this writing I am simply highlighting that in every occurrence in your life – even wrath – God is drawing you to Himself.)
This wrath that is revealed by God in this passage, if I understand it correctly, is quite interesting and not at all what our perceived understanding of “wrath” tells us it should be. Knowing Romans chapter 1, God’s wrath isn’t always a fire, earthquake, physical devastation, opening-the-ground-up-and-swallowing-the-sinful kind of wrath – it can be something much worse. Read the rest of this entry »
A Touch of Death
When I was 15 years old, 3 students I went to high school with died within 4 days of each other. I attended funerals and memorials and grieved with my classmates. It wasn’t that they were close friends. I knew them through loose associations at school, but I cried because that week myself along with 1,600 other students were forced to acknowledge that death didn’t just come knocking for the old. Read the rest of this entry »
How Did I Get Here?
Volition
“It is good that everyone may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God.” – Solomon, King of Israel, a VERY long time ago
I am a person prone to bouts of fitfulness. I love change, adapting to a new situation, working through a challenge. I always feel a bit restless and so, after reading this I immediately thought, “This is what I want.” As soon as that thought was concluded, I heard the Lord say, “You can have it.”
In much of what will happen in our lives, we are utterly powerless. There’s nothing you can do to affect change. Situations, people and more will fluctuate in and out of your life and you really have no control over it. But there is one extremely powerful word in this quote that I think sheds light on this passage: volition. Volition is defined as “the act of willing, choosing or resolving.” As I was growing up, my father would often say to me, “Everything is a volition, Amanda.” He was right. Read the rest of this entry »
Observations from the Sun
A very wise man once proclaimed: “What has been is what will be and what has been done is what will be done and there is nothing new under the sun.”
There is a huge part of me that would like to believe that this is a false statement. I’d like to think of humanity as progressing. I’d like to think that if I could look back in time 1,000 years, I would be able to perceive INTERNAL human progress in our present day and age. Obvious inventions have come about that have transformed our outer lives, but according to Solomon, whether your point of comparison is 50 years or 5,000 years, the same scenarios keep repeating themselves. The problems may look wildly different, the settings have changed, the lifestyles are unrecognizable, yet the philosophical issues that are at the root of this ceaseless cycle of all humanity are identical no matter how much time has gone by. Read the rest of this entry »
Who Follows You?
I am an individual often given over to nostalgic episodes. I immensely enjoy remembering past experiences and often have to reign myself in to the present and submerge my recollections for a more appropriate time and place.
That being said, though I have since returned from Austria well over three years now, still a plethora of memories occasionally surprise my mind. There is one recollection in particular that has returned to my mind again and again. Each time the memory pops into my mind, I smile at the recollection, try to curb further thought on the matter and continue about my day. Read the rest of this entry »
The Sasquatch Soul: wandering, searching deeply, and avoiding photos. 
Law of Love.
December 24, 2020 at 9:40 pm (2020, American church, Body of Christ, Culture, Devotional, Love your neighbor, Pandemic, Philosophy, Protests, Religious Commentary, Social Change, wearing masks)
Enough.
We have taken leave of our senses long enough.
As the body of Christ, we are to lead the way in reconciliation, kindness, love.
Much of the American church is failing in this.
I am an American citizen. With that citizenship comes many privileges and responsibilities. I am also a child of the kingdom of God. With that citizenship comes many privileges and responsibilities and that citizenship supersedes all other allegiances.
These days I often fail to recognize the church. So many American Christians are placing their rights as American citizens far above their obligations as citizens of the kingdom of God.
It seems that instead of holding rallies and protests maybe we should be demonstrating our faith by loving our neighbors. Traditionally, the most basic demonstrations are to bring food to those who need it. Gifts to those who may go without due to the devastating effects that 2020 has had on so many in our nation (not to mention, world). Regardless of personal beliefs about coronavirus, this year there is an even MORE basic way to show love to those around us. It is a demonstration of love to your neighbor, your coworker, your family member, to wear a mask. To socially distance from one another. I am baffled that for many Christians these things are instead considered “radical,” “unconstitutional,” and a “violation” of our rights as Americans. These are simple acts of love for our neighbor that we as a church body are struggling to meet.
Instead, we are exercising our right to gather and protest during the height of a global pandemic. Until this year, I have never wept or so fervently prayed for the body of Christ in America, so obsessed with our rights, that we disregard the safety of others, and worse yet, it seems as though we often toss out the Law of Love (Romans 13:10) in favor of our rights as American citizens.
Most people recover from COVID19. Great. Both my brothers are highly trained and experienced nurses (one works in the ER and one in ICU). They have both been pulled into the COVID ICU unit during this extended crisis. COVID units are maxed out. ERs are full. And it’s not even Christmas yet. There are too many that don’t recover.
Instead of protesting for our rights, perhaps it’s time to set aside our blind nationalism and embrace our responsibilities as the children of God to love others more than we love ourselves. In doing that, we will be a far better example of the selfless, sacrificial love of God that as Christians we claim to be celebrating tomorrow. What a marvelous gift that would be this year.
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