There are many in the church today who know and hate their sin but find themselves still stuck in their guilt and shame. They know that God is holy, that they are not, and do not struggle to say so. But a key ingredient is missing in their attempts at repentance. 

Full repentance is not just owning what you have done, but it is also owning, or apprehending, what God has done on your behalf. You could say that there are two movements or parts to repentance. The first is true confession – identifying and naming your sin as God names it, with contrition and no euphemisms or excuses. But you must not stop there. The second part of repentance is then owning what God has done – turning to Christ in faith and receiving His forgiveness, graciously extended to you. Without both of these pieces, repentance is incomplete. 

If all you have done is name your sin but have not yet turned in humble faith to the One who is faithful to forgive and cleanse you of all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9)—then it is no wonder that you keep finding yourself stuck in the same hole of despair. Without forgiveness, without cleansing, you are still left in the mess you dug yourself into. 

Sure, you can see clearly that it is dark and dirty, and that you cannot climb out on your own. But you have not yet grasped onto the nail-scarred hand reaching down to pull you out. You have not yet apprehended God’s forgiveness and grace extended to you so that you may walk in the light.

Now note, this is not the same thing as “forgiving yourself.” Forgiveness is not extended from yourself to yourself – it comes from God – the one you have offended and sinned against. 

He freely offers forgiveness to all who turn to Him; you must only exercise faith and take hold of it. Or perhaps for a more accurate illustration, if His forgiveness was a sea of refreshing water, all you must do is fall in. And when you do, you will most certainly be washed clean.

Shawn Paterson – March 3, 2024

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Millions of advertising dollars are spent every year on enticing you to embrace the vice of hastiness. What at first blush might look like a road to greater liberty, ease, and comfort, is instead a quicksand pathway which will quickly bog you down into the swamp of discontent, greed, and lust.

Porn is not a shortcut to sexual fulfillment, although that is what it disguises itself as. Sports betting is an alluring cheat code to generating fat stacks of cash, but the House always wins. Pinterest boards present a minimalist mirage of tidiness, but underpinning (pun intended) that minimalism is often an avoidance of diligence. Every other Silicon Valley start up is aimed at trying to part you from your money with the enticing promise of shortcutting hard work.

Proverbs, in particular, warns us of the sinister nature of haste. Hasty feet are described as sinful (Pr. 19:2). Hastiness in wealth building is unlikely to be paired with moral innocence (Pr. 28:20). Hasty speech is not just foolish, it makes you worse than a fool (Pr. 29:20). Starvation follows hastiness like ash follows fire (Pr. 21:5).

These warnings against a “get out over your skis” hastiness are not set in contrast to slothfulness. Rather, the virtue which stands opposite of this vice of hastiness is that of steady steps of diligence and faithfulness. According to biblical wisdom this is how you build a lasting foundation. Persistently ordering your steps to walk in the ways of God’s Covenant is how you enjoy the good life.

However, apart from Christ our feet our cinder blocks when it comes to obedience, and jet packs when it comes to gratifying our lusts. So, God freely offers to you, through Christ, a new heart which transforms your entire moral framework. By faith then, your feet can plod away at faithfulness.

Ben Zornes – March 3, 2024

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Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not foreswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by the head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea: Nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Matthew 5:33-37

Jesus words here can appear hard to understand. Is He condemning oaths? If so, then that would contradict the instruction on vows in Deuteronomy 23. What about marriage vows? Is the church in sin when we ask the head of household to make membership vows? No Jesus is not condemning oaths. He is condemning man in his pride and arrogance. 

You have given your word to do something. Good. But that is all you can do. If your word is not good on it’s own than extra promising won’t help. You cannot back your word up by swearing it by heaven or by earth or even by swearing upon your own head. Your own life cannot guarantee your word because you don’t have control over even that. Can you keep your hair from turning gray? No. Can you keep your hair from falling out? No. Then stop acting like you have control over all of life. Yes, be honest, all the way down to your toes. When you say you will do something, do it. Keep your word. Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Parents, this is incredibly important for you. Never allow the word “maybe” to become codeword for “no”. Don’t say “I’ll do it in a little bit” with the knowledge that you will run out of time and then never do it. Protect the value of your word at all costs. But combine truthfulness with the humble knowledge that you are just a man. You will wake up tomorrow morning only if it is the Lord’s will. Check your pride. Check your promises. You are not God. Your days are like grass and your plans are a vapor. 

Zach Browning – March 3, 2024

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One of the high callings placed upon our lives is letting our reasonableness be made known to all. I say this is a high calling, and it always is. But it is particularly high in times of decay. You must let your reasonableness be known to all while everyone plunges head over heels into an abyss of irrationality. You must not be pushy when everyone is shoving. You must not be demanding over small things when the order of the day is to screech on the internet over the slightest offense. 

So you must let your reasonableness be made known to all. But that does not mean that it is your duty to get unreasonable people to acknowledge your sanity. You must let your light shine amid the darkness. But only God can give the blind eyes to see. Do not be shocked because the decaying doesn’t recognize the fruitful or because the void cannot comprehend substance. Your duty is to be fruitful, be substantial, do good works and ask the Lord to bring the growth. Your assignment is not to shave off the corners of your normalcy in order to get the fringe to accept it. Neither is your assignment to fall into begging other Christians to see how normal you are. 

We are dealing with a battle over the definition of normal at the moment. But you will be far more persuasive if you actually carry on with doing reasonable deeds than you will by protracted conversations about your reasonable deeds. The proof is in the bright-eyed children, the happy marriage, the sourdough, the respectful and hardworking football team, the generous financial gift, the robust psalms, the honorable business, and all the feasting, gratitude, and joy. If you want to see our reasonableness, we say with the Apostle Paul, “these things have not been done in a corner.”

Jared Longshore – February 25, 2024

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One of the most important spiritual vital signs is whether you have a low-grade fever of fear. Do you wince easily? Is your mind tangled up with nightmares of all the scenarios of things going wrong? Have you been fretting over all the bad things in the headlines, and letting your emotional state be dictated by oil prices in Saudi Arabia? This sort of fear is rightly described in Scripture as having torment.

Fear will sap your strength and will. It will rob your joy. Your voice will quaver in timidity instead of being raised in praise. Letting fear wander the hallways of your life unchecked will make it certain that you only do the safest of things. You won’t stand up against evil. You won’t venture out of your comfort zone. You’ll be confined to the small chamber of safety, as defined by all your fears.

But where God’s Spirit dwells, there His love dwells too. This love, we are told, casts out our fears. If you know that God has manifested His love to You through Christ, and your sins are forgiven and abundant and everlasting life is your birthright you can walk fearless.

Whereas fear confines you, God’s love is deep and wide and long. This is why the attribute which defined the early church was that of boldness. It is how Acts describes the early Christians, and it is what Paul asks the church to pray that he would have, even in his imprisonment. Now, this boldness doesn’t mean being a loud-mouth. Rather, this boldness is the straightforward declaration of the Gospel, and the fruit of a life assured of this Gospel. The security of knowing that God’s love is upon you and dwells in you, wherever you go makes you fearless regardless of any persecution, famine, distress, or peril you might encounter.

God’s people throughout history have been marked by their fearlessness. They have rebuked kings, faced down armies singlehandedly, put the enemy to flight, and preached righteousness to a stiff-necked people. They have done this because they feared not man, while reverently fearing God Almighty. When we get this backward it cripples our witness, confines our lives, and kills our joy. May God forgive us for trembling before the threats and worries of this world, instead of standing steadfast and certain in His love. And may He grant unto us a true evangelical boldness to live and declare His truth in this dark age we live.

Ben Zornes – February 25, 2024

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