Forged By Faith

Romans 10:3 NIV Having been given all we truly need in order to become all we’ve never been able to be and yet still seeking ways in which to prove ourselves already sufficient is a kind of foolishness only possible in minds so warped that eyes can only see inward. Humanity's preference for self-righteousness is creating a chasm which will potentially forever remain uncrossed, with many a soul caught in a place they only think they want to be. All of this effort to climb ourselves to Heaven is not merely time and effort being wasted. It’s time and effort being doused with gasoline, set on fire and rolled down a hill toward a fireworks factory. We’re creating our own destruction every single time we seek to construct something that we think will appease God’s expectation of righteousness. He sent Jesus because we cannot be the righteousness He created us to be before we traded that image in which we were made for an arbitrary facade which allows instead for our ongoing failures to b...

Ecclesiastes 7:16 NIV The religious among humanity are undertaking a great effort to prove themselves able to become something our pasts have already proven we're unable to be. And that egocentric mindset is one that all of us have at a time adopted unto ourselves thinking that within righteous acts done under our own strength and through our own effort we might prove ourselves worthy of God's benevolence therefore sidestepping the guilt of knowing that we ourselves, through our past transgressions, lived a way of life in which we held the hammer that drove the nails that pierced the flesh of He who'd done no wrong against us. Yet, in our great endeavor to prove ourselves of sufficient holiness so as to render Christ's sacrifice moot on our behalf, we've taken what's merely a part of this calling of the cross and twisted it into something that's led us only away from He who hung in our place. We're at dire risk of idolizing an aspect of faith rather than...

Romans 4:23-24 NIV Yesterday we discussed the sting of the truth found in God's law. That harsh realization that even our best isn't good enough is enough to send many running away from following God. That other option, the option that allows us to believe that we're doing okay and that our mistakes aren't that bad, or that we don't even make any mistakes, just has far more appeal to those who prefer the lies of sin over the opportunity to pursue righteousness. Or maybe that’s the stumbling block that sends so many running away from a life of faith. Maybe it’s the fact that pursuing righteousness is a goal that none of us can achieve. We talked about that a day or two ago. We will never be perfect. No matter how hard we try or how focused we are, we’re going to make mistakes. Nobody will ever be able to actually catch up to righteousness. So maybe some folks don’t see the point in trying something that they’re only going to fail at doing. But if you’re humble enough...

Proverbs 28:1 NIV A life of sin is a life of running. Always trying to outrun the shame. Always trying to outrun the guilt. Always trying to find some way of convincing ourselves that what we're doing isn't wrong or leading us to a place we don't want to go. Living a life of sin means that we will constantly have to find ways to fight against the truth because we know in our hearts that the truth will confront our wickedness and leave us feeling like garbage. That's why people who are under the control of sin are always ready to fight and argue with anyone who points out their mistakes. Nobody wants to hear that they're messing up. Nobody wants to discuss their flaws and weaknesses. And that's especially true when we already know that what we're doing isn't right. The sin inside of us has to fight back against the truth because righteousness and evil cannot coexist. Let's face it, a life of sin is tiring. Feeling like we have to hide things and cover...