Tag Archive - salvation
23

LEGALISM: My Recovery From This Addiction

I don’t know when it started, I just remember when God spoke directly to me and told me it was wrong.

You see, I’m a recovering legalist.

There was a time in my life when I used to think it was up to me to do all the right things. To have more check marks than x marks on my list of do’s.

I’d even see people who were doing things and think about how much better I was because I wasn’t doing them.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have issues. It was just that mine weren’t as easy to see, weren’t as easy to point out. I’d see someone doing something in public that I thought was wrong and think about how much better I was because no one saw my junk.

What I came to realize is that many of these things weren’t undeniably wrong, they were just my way of judging and getting a leg up on others.

It took me some time, but I finally came to realize that God isn’t keeping score to see if He loves me or not, that’s already a given.

What He does care about is that I’m surrendered to Him, that I seek hard after Him.

Ultimately, I had to realize that God just wants me. Not my deeds, not my perfection, just me.

It’s freed me beyond explanation. What I do now, instead of trying to see another’s sins, I seek to be like Jesus.

The actions will come with it.

I’m Jonathan and im a recovering legalist.

Are you?


Written by on June 2, 2011 and categorized under Blog, Encouragement, Life

8

Turning People UPSIDE Down

The goal of God.

The goal of Jesus.

The goal of Paul.

The goal of Peter.

The goal of our early church fathers.

The goal of your local church.

The goal of you.

Is to see old and dead people become new and alive.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

It’s what turning the world upside down ultimately comes down to. If our passion and reason is for anything other than seeing people come a saving relationship with Jesus, we have a bad goal. It’s what we are born to do.

But, often our actions don’t reflect it. It’s messy work. It’s uncomfortable work. It’s hard work. Helping people find Jesus. Loving people even though they don’t look, talk, or act like us.

Seeing the potential of someone in Christ rather than the failure of someone dead in their sins.

Ultimately, if we’re going to please the One we worship and prove effective at the commission that we’re given, we’re going to have to live out a life that brings people to Jesus. It’s all we’re really here for…

turn the world UPSIDE down.

Check out the other posts in this series:

3 Elements to Turn the World Upside Down

Upside Down: reversed in position

Turn the World Upside Down


Written by on January 6, 2011 and categorized under Blog, Church Ministry, Devotional Thought, Life

9

A Baby Changes Everything

I’m not a parent yet, but I’ve heard the stories of how a newborn baby completely changes their parents’ lives as soon as they’re born.

The parents’ priorities change, their time schedules change, their budgets change, their focus changes.
All of a sudden they have the responsibility of a human life other than their own.

A newborn baby changes everything.

Luke 2:12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

And so, Jesus changed EVERYTHING.

The religious system.
The inescapable punishment for our sins.
The course of human history.
The concept of true love.
The end of the world.
The hope of the world.

A baby changes everything…
In Jesus’ case, He changed the world!


Written by on December 21, 2010 and categorized under Blog, Devotional Thought, Featured

4

8 on 8′s – SALVATION


Written by on December 18, 2010 and categorized under 8 on 8, Blog

5

The Wishbone Principle

It happens to all of us from time to time.

Some may see it as what it is,
others may be a little more naive.

It may be the work of the enemy,
it may be the work of the flesh.

It’s that thing that tries it’s best to pull us from God.

I’ve always heard the saying that, “If God seems far away, you moved.”
There’s a ton of truth in that statement.

God is consistent.
His ways are perfect.
His truth remains.
His character is unchanging.

Our surroundings change and move.
It may be someone we care for.
It may be someone we can’t stand.
It’s that thing that keeps attempting to pull us from God.

For those of us that are holding onto Christ,
these situations can cause a lot of confusion.

We’re holding on to Christ,
that thing is pulling us away.

Eventually, we must choose what to let go of.
Eventually, we won’t be able to give enough of our selves to both.

If you find yourself in one of these situations today…
Let go of the inconsistent…
hold onto God.

The inconsistent is just that…inconsistent.
It’s not guaranteed to be there tomorrow.
It’s not guaranteed to sustain.

God is.
For eternity.

Let go of the garbage, hold on to God.


Written by on December 15, 2010 and categorized under Blog, Featured, Life

26

You May Be Religious If…

1. You spend more time defending a doctrine than sharing Christ.

2. You confront people about using YouVersion in church.

3. You see church as something you do and go to rather than something you are.

4. You get angrier when you hear a cuss word than when you see someone hurting.

5. You find the homeless man on the street untouchable.

6. You’re more concerned with your giving record than your lost family member.

7. You dress for church to “give God your best”, but fail to give anything of value to your family.

8. You’re prouder of your Sunday School attendance chart than the baptism count.

9. You see prayer as something that must be done rather than a chance to talk with God.

10. You compare yourself to others for comfort rather than looking to God for transformation.

Matthew 15:1-9

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.

Any additions to the 10?


Written by on November 30, 2010 and categorized under Blog, Church Ministry, Devotional Thought, Featured

16

Jesus Ain’t My Homeboy

When I was growing up, I always had a lot of friends.

Some of these friends were really close.
They were the ones that I spent most of my time with and loved being around.

Some of these friends were more casual.
They were the ones that I saw at school and occasionally hung out with outside of school.

When I would decide that I wanted to do something and wanted a friend to go with me,
I’d always call my close friends first.

Only after all of them seemed to already have something going on would I call my other friends.

It seems like a lot of people treat Jesus as “the other friend.”

Sometimes, I treat Jesus as my “other friend.”

We’re willing to pay some attention to Him on an occasional Sunday.
We’re willing to admit that He’s our friend.
We’re even willing to call on Him when all other options fall through.

BUT,

He isn’t our life.

He’s just a casual friend.

Jesus never died on a cross and got up from the grave to be our casual friend.
Jesus never died on a cross and got up to be someone to come to when all other options seem unavailable.

Jesus’ love demands our life.
Jesus’ sacrifice demands our life.
Jesus’ atonement demands our life.

I never want Jesus to be a casual friend to me.
I never want Jesus as my “homeboy.”

I want Jesus to be MY LIFE.
More today than yesterday…
More tomorrow than today…

He demands my firsts, not my leftovers.
He demands my  priority, not my remainder.

In every part of my life…

My family.
My work.
My finances.
My leadership.
My ministry.
My leisure.

I must be last!
He must be first!


Written by on October 11, 2010 and categorized under Blog, Featured, Life

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