2015 Verse of the Week #31: Psalm 105:1-3

This week’s passage will be my last one from this album. The song is called “Give Thanks,” track 11 on “Seeds of Character.” I skipped a couple of tracks on this album– one because it was too long (Psalm 1) and another because it’s not really a verse (The Only Way). They’re both very much worth listening to and learning, though, so check out that album online! Anyway, here is this week’s passage in the ESV translation:

Psalm 105:1-3

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
²Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
³Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

My husband Mike and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past Thursday. We have been really excited for this one, and invited some friends to celebrate with us yesterday. It was so fun, but we had a laaaate night and I am super tired today. Still, there is so much to be thankful for– including the very reason I am so tired!

The words are pretty straightforward, although I did have to look up one part. I can understand giving thanks, calling upon the Lord, telling others about him, singing praise, and rejoicing. We can do those things in all circumstances with help from God. But “glory in his holy name” is not something that comes up a lot. I made quick use of Bible Gateway’s study tools and found some insight from Matthew Henry’s commentary.

As I understand it now, the command to “glory” is more like a command to “find glory.” So rather than boasting about our own accomplishments we are to boast about the accomplishments of God and the goodness of his character, and receive glory because we are connected to him. And then, the commentary says, “…in glorying in him, we bring glory to him” (emphasis mine). Because all glory belongs to God.

My brain just cannot continue, so I have to stop here. I’m excited to begin a new Seeds Family Worship album next week, The Character of God. It is as we seek God and learn more about him that we give him the glory he is due and find all we need in life– growth, peace, comfort, joy, obedience and more– so I’m looking forward to meditating on verses that reveal different aspects of God’s character in the weeks to come.

2015 Verse of the Week #30: Romans 5:1-5

I’m excited for this week’s passage because it’s one of my big-time favorites. It is just good, good, good stuff. Seeds Family Worship has a song for it called “The Character Song,” and it’s track 10 on “Seeds of Character.” Read it below (ESV):

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ²Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

In my New Testament class I was taught that when we read “Therefore” it’s good to go back to look at what the proceeding statement is “there for” in light of preceding statements. Thankfully, Paul helps us out by reminding us of what he just said- that we are justified by faith. In chapter 4 he used the faith of Abraham to illustrate how God kept his promises to Abraham and to us, sending Jesus as justification for all who believe. I packed that into a pretty small nutshell, so feel free to read Romans 4 yourself to gain a deeper understanding.

I love the flow of this passage. Paul is showing us how one thing clearly leads to another and how all of these things work together in our lives as part of God’s redemptive plan: Justification through faith in God brings peace with God through Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, we stand in God’s grace and the hope of his glory.

As monumental as it is to possess justification, peace, grace and hope, Paul tells us, “Wait! There’s more!” And the more is that we can rejoice in our sufferings. This is one of the major ways that we as Christians are set apart; it is counter-intuitive and counter-cultural to rejoice in our sufferings. To be sure, our culture does embrace the concept of suffering leading to greater things in life, but when I read this passage I see God calling us to something greater and– as is usually the case– stranger.

I see that suffering is not merely something to get through in order to achieve a greater end, but that suffering in itself is an opportunity for God to reveal himself, to teach us, to refine us, to plant things in our hearts that could not take root were the ground not broken.

I have found this to be true in my life. Whether it’s a run-of-the-mill bad day or a long, uphill climb through the mud of uncertainty or pain or disappointment, God’s Holy Spirit is present in my mind and my heart. He keeps me from sinking by reminding me that I am justified, at peace with God, walking in grace each day, given hope of God’s glory, and that the God who has given me all of this is at work in those deep, dark, muddy moments of suffering. He is planting and fostering in me a light that cannot be extinguished: the power of the Spirit producing Christ-like character in undeserving ME.

Isn’t that amazing? What a gift of love from our holy God. Romans is full of these amazing concepts, and is a book every Christian should study in-depth more than once. My favorite study of Romans was with a small group a few years back. We went through chapter by chapter, discussing each verse and memorizing key passages together. I saw the Spirit working in our lives as we sought to understand the deep truths presented to us in this portion of God’s Word. I still don’t fully understand it all, but just that one study (in addition to the other times I have studied Romans in part or whole) fueled my mind and heart going forward.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this passage and the ideas it presents!

a sketch to help me remember these words

How Do I Look?

A simple thought has been tumbling around in my mind lately as I see different articles & pictures here and there about beauty and self-image, and as the subject comes up in conversation with other women.

The thought is this: my beauty does not depend upon how much more [fill-in-the-blank] I am than somebody else.

Feeling, looking, or being ___________-er than the next girl (or boy) is not a healthy place to turn to for our confidence. I would also say that we should be wary of basing our self-image upon how close we get to looking like the images we are bombarded with every day. These mental patterns are associated with comparison and competition, both of which are deeply rooted messages in our culture, not just now, but in the past. The medium may change, but these messages have been around for generations.

We humans are naturally inclined to categorize and compare; it’s part of how we make sense of the world, and in many ways it is necessary to do this! But in a fallen world there is a dark side to everything, and I believe that the enemy of our souls loves to see women and men trapped in the lie that you’re only beautiful or worthwhile if you measure up to impossibly high standards. I think we are making strides toward healthier attitudes about self-image, and I am pleased to see broadening definitions of beauty, creativity, coolness, success, etc. but as long as there are definitions (and there always will be), people will be excluded from them. Basing our worth on measuring up will always cause us to come up short.

The truth is that each of us was created wonderfully and uniquely by a loving, all-knowing God (Psalm 119 is a great place to start exploring this idea in Scripture). Each of us has worth, beauty, gifts, talents… things to offer the world.

I’m sharing this today because I recently caught myself, once again, stuck in the comparison trap. I glanced in the mirror as I headed out the door to walk the dog and thought, “I look cute!” BUT. A scary process happened in my head in that split second, and I thank God for the wherewithal to recognize it: the image I saw in the mirror lined up with images I had seen over time that are associated with cultural standards of beauty, and that was what led to my thinking I looked good. My brain scanned my reflection, looking for matches in its digital library of other people and went “check, check, check….” for each matching characteristic.

Here’s where I get super deep (haha): that made me sad. 😦 I want to be at peace with how I look and who I am because of how God made ME, not how I stack up against others. And I think it truly was the Spirit who helped me recognize the false self-esteem calculation that was going on in my mind, so I will rely on him to renew my thoughts in this area. Looks don’t matter as much as our hearts, our minds, and our actions, but self-image is still a piece of the puzzle, and when it’s out of place we can get distracted from what matters most.

I created a cheesy little image (using Rhonna Designs, such a cool app!) that I hope will provide inspiration as we head into another summer weekend. There is so much to do and so much to enjoy! But as you head out to enjoy this world and this life, take a quick look at what makes you YOU, and embrace it! Look at yourself as someone beautiful and gifted in his or her own right, because you are. I think looking at ourselves this way can make a difference in our own minds and hearts, and in the way we see others, but it will also make a difference in the world around us.

the image is my own. text and decorations are from the Rhonna Designs app.

2015 Verse of the Week #29: Colossians 3:12-14

I took last week off from the blog. I am determined to continue sharing a verse every week for the rest of the year, but I’ll admit I’m losing some of the steam I started out with. I felt kind of bad for dropping the ball on my verse-a-week challenge, but the reason I didn’t post was that I was involved in our church’s vacation Bible school. We were also hosting a super-cool day camp that rolls into town with inflatable slides, archery, 9-square and all kinds of other games, decorations, and (most importantly) endlessly energetic college-aged counselors. The day camp age range is 7-12, which leaves our kids ages 3-6 with nothing to do. So we put on a morning VBS for them, and I was so happy to be a part of it. I taught the Bible portion and enjoyed introducing the kids to each day’s theme: God is real, God is love, God is forgiving, and God is forever. We were able to really get into God’s love for his creation, the story of Jesus, and the complete gospel.

So it’s not like I wasn’t meditating on the Word or the character of God! Over the years I have seen that God works in my heart whenever I teach the Word to others, even the youngest of children. Last week was a workout for my mind as I tailored the lessons to suit our unique group of kids. The curriculum we used was great, but as we got going it became clear that our kids already had a lot of background knowledge, so I included more of the gospel message and tried to encourage the kids to connect the dots of what they already know. I also had to rely on God for the energy to do this! We were competing with the sounds of day camp floating into our classrooms and wanted our kids to feel special, too. But God came through as he always does, and we had a great week (actually 4 mornings) with the little ones.

If you are memorizing along with me and want to reach the 52-verse mark by the end of the year, the verse I had planned to share last Monday was Ephesians 6:1-4. I have this one memorized already thanks to Seeds! Their song for the passage is called “Children and Fathers.”

The verse for this week is Colossians 3:12-14. The Seeds Family Worship song, “Put on Love,” includes verse 12 and 14a. It’s track 9 on “Seeds of Character.” Here is the complete passage in the ESV:

Colossians 3:12-14

¹²Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

These verses tell us some important things about God, but also some important things about us.

First, God, because he always gets to go first. He chooses us! And his choosing us makes us holy and beloved. So he is holy and he is loving. His choosing us also empowers us, information that we have from earlier in this chapter, like verse 1, “If, then, you have been raised with Christ” or verse 5, “Christ who is your life,” and of course from elsewhere in the New Testament when we learn from Jesus and his apostles that it is God’s power at work in us, enabling this change of character, empowering us to “put on” this long list of noble traits. Just yesterday I had the honor of teaching some 3- to 5-year-olds about this very concept through the story of Peter and John healing a lame man.

But we see this lesson in the Old Testament, as well, in every leader God ever chose for his people from Abraham to Moses to David to Solomon… every king, every judge, and every prophet… human strength is insufficient for the call to holiness. It is our holy and loving God who enables his people to be holy. He does not call us only to leave us dangling from the thread of our own incomplete strength. This is the character of our God, and what sets the Christian faith apart from others: God comes to us and provides everything we need to obtain righteousness. He did this once by sending Jesus the Son to live a perfect life, die a sacrificial death, and give salvation and righteousness to all who accept him; God continues to provide us with his Spirit so we can work out our salvation and share the truth of God’s redemptive love with others.

Now, us. We always get to go after God. We are to put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and forgiveness. When I look at my own life I’m tempted to think I’m doing okay with compassion and kindness and patience, growing in humility, and pretty forgiving overall.

But do I really allow for opportunities to forgive, as this verse calls me to? I don’t know. And I don’t think I’m alone. How many times do we as Christians brush our “complaints” under the rug in order to avoid conflict? Or live with the sinking feeling that we may have wronged someone? We endure the feeling until our paths just don’t cross anymore and we can keep our minds occupied with other things. The Bible calls us to live at peace with one another, but is simultaneously calling us to deal with our conflicts so we can practice forgiveness. I think we have bought the lie that we’re at peace if we don’t bring things up to our brothers, but in reality we are not at peace, we are living in a state of un-forgiveness, and our holy God has given us clear and strong words about refusing to forgive.

I don’t quite know what to do about this. I know I need the Spirit to renew my mind, heart, and actions in this area; and that will be a focus of prayer this week as I look at (and listen to) this passage.

Thankfully, our pastor just taught on this subject (from a different passage) yesterday. I was hanging out with the little ones during the sermon, but I will be downloading it and listening this week. You can, too! (Click “Launch media player” and select July 19th to stream or download.)

I took a minute to read all of Colossians 3 while I was writing, and I would encourage you to read it, as well. It contains so much good teaching on living the Christian life!

How do these verses challenge you?

image found on hamiltoncrc.com/verse-1-for-memory-work-colossians-312/

2015 Verse of the Week #27: John 13:12-17

The passage this week corresponds to the Seeds Family Worship song, “The Perfect Example,” which is track 7 on the album “Seeds of Character.” Here it is (in ESV):

John 13:12-17

¹²When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have given you an example,that you also should do just as I have done to you. ¹⁶Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

I have the phrase, “you also ought to wash one another’s feet” from the song stuck in my head. I hope it will stay there as an encouragement to find ways to serve, and do so with humility. In this brief passage, Jesus tells the disciples three times that they should do as he did. There is no room for doubt: we need to serve one another.

As with many passages in Scripture, when I dig into it I do find myself asking questions about what the words truly mean. There is a clear call to action in the passage above, but we are also to “know these things.” And do I really know them? Through study and discussion and asking questions? For example, I find myself asking if the instruction to “wash one another’s feet” means I should focus my service on the church before serving the greater community. I don’t yet have a satisfying answer for that. But as I look for one, I should not shy away from serving; neither the Kingdom of God nor my own heart will suffer when I serve both brother and stranger, but both the Kingdom and my heart may suffer if I neglect to serve either party because I’m caught up in questions. Jesus’ story of the good Samaritan comes to mind– I don’t want to be the guy who asks, “But who is my neighbor?” to see if I can get off the hook for showing mercy.

I believe the best way to understand Jesus’ words is to continue reading them and living them out in the Spirit, growing as we go. As I learned in Galatians a couple of weeks ago, keeping in step with the Spirit is of utmost importance in obeying God by following the perfect example of his Son.

This summer I have had opportunities to serve my church and my community, sometimes simultaneously (which is my favorite). I have followed what I think the Spirit has called me to, and felt like I was in line with Scripture in the process. God is so gracious to give us insight into his plans and will! But I still have questions, and would love to hear from you. How do you serve? What do you think Jesus’ words really mean here?

2015 Verse of the Week #26: Deuteronomy 6:4-7

I can’t believe we’re halfway through the year. That means I’m also halfway through my verse-a-week challenge, and 6 months into blogging. I hope I will keep getting better at this; I’ve needed the weekly routine of posting my verse, and hopefully in 6 more months it will be an actual habit.

I don’t know that I could instantly recall each of the 25 verses I have focused on up to this point, but I do know that through this exercise I’ve noticed Scripture coming to mind faster than in the past. That is worth taking the time to write these posts and create visual reminders for myself. Without the accountability of this blog I would have given up long ago, I’m sure.

This week’s passage is Deuteronomy 6:4-7. The Seeds Family Worship song is called “Teach Them,” and it’s track 6 on the album “Seeds of Character.” Here is the verse in the ESV:

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

⁴“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

There is so much to love about this passage. It is known as the Shema (or part of it), and from my understanding is one of the first passages a Jewish child would learn. God’s people have been committing these words to memory for thousands of years, and I think that is so cool! Thank you, Lord, for adopting us Christians into your family. This is a passage for the entire family, with guidance for every part of our lives.

In this chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses is in the midst of preparing the Hebrew people to enter the promised land under Joshua’s leadership. He is helping them understand God’s covenant with the people, and how they are to live in light of that covenant. The people needed to hear these words: that the Lord alone was their God, they were to be devoted to him only, they were to internalize his message, teach it to their children, and make it a part of their lives- during every activity, from morning to night.

We know from reading the story of the Hebrew people that they really needed these words. They needed to be devoted to the Lord, heart and soul. But they were not. They had a very hard journey out of Egypt, into the promised land, and eventually into captivity because of their disobedience and divided hearts. Their mistakes are well-documented; God himself called his people stubborn and stiff-necked. It is easy to judge this ancient civilization…

Until we realize we are the same way. Rather than the pagan gods of the Ancient Near East, we are bombarded with temptation to worship at the altars of our own time. They aren’t physical altars that require burnt sacrifices as Baal or Chemosh did (scary), but the ideologies and constructs of our culture do demand our time, our thoughts, our strength, even our very heart and soul. They demand that we turn from God’s call on our lives to serve him and others, and follow the call of Self. This pull toward World and Self is sin, and it is as old as time. The result remains the same: death.

God didn’t and doesn’t want any of his people to suffer under the weight of sin, which is why he gave all the instructions he did through Moses, and why he sent the Son to conquer death and offer salvation for all who believe. He knows what the world is going to throw at us and he knows how very weak we are to resist the call of Self. He knows that his strength is greater than the world or ourselves, and will help us if we will only ask, and follow him.

So we need these words as much as Moses’ flock of stubborn Hebrew children. We need to internalize this message of our ONE God. We need to dedicate ourselves to him alone, to teach our children how to walk in his ways, and we need to make his Word a part of our everyday lives. We need to do this so we can stay away from the death that comes with following our own way.

In my life I was greatly blessed by others teaching these things to me as I grew up. My parents were tantamount in this, but there were countless others in the churches we attended over the years who instructed and encouraged me in God’s way. I am forever in their debt, as they showed me what it looks like to live out these words and incorporate them into daily life.

For me right now, I am working on putting God’s command into my heart through personal Bible study, through prayer, and through thinking of God’s Word throughout my day. That may entail posting a verse where I can see it, reading about Christian life, listening to songs, or discussing Scripture with others. I also have the privilege of teaching children and students through church, which I find to be one of the richest blessings in my life. Something happens when I am responsible to teach someone else about God’s Word– there is a sense of accountability, of urgency, of humility and grace, of awe over a young identity being formed, and of appreciation for the things I was taught. I pray that God will keep me from dropping the ball, and that his grace will cover any errors I may make (have made) in my imperfect attempts.

This passage provides life-long aspiration, inspiration, and motivation for the child of God. Thank you, Lord, for making me a part of your family because of your Son, and for sending your Spirit to guide me in obedience to your Word.

What does this command from Deuteronomy look like in your life? I would love to know– it will help me as I “walk by the way.” image from matankids.org

2015 Verse of the Week #25: Galatians 5:16 & 22-23

This week’s verses are Galatians 5:16 and 5:22-23. The song on “Seeds of Character” is called “The Fruit.” If you haven’t memorized this list of the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit, or you want to teach it to your children, I highly recommend this song! Here are the verses in the English Standard Version:

Galatians 5:16

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh

Galatians 5:22-23

But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

This is going to be a mini-post. I am currently in the middle of a local service project “camp” with our church’s middle schoolers and am still not good at preparing posts in advance, so I’ve stolen a few moments to write now. And it is actually because of the kindness and goodness of a fellow believer that I can have this time… she drove my team of students to the pool so I could get to an appointment I couldn’t miss, and it just made sense to eat supper at home before heading back.

Having this list of attributes committed to memory helps me SO much. I have found that the Spirit brings to mind this list, or just specific parts of it, when I am faced with temptation. There are often times when what I want conflicts with what God wants for me, but ultimately I want to walk by the Spirit and become more like God, and because the Spirit dwells with me in my mind, He knows just when to contrast my selfishness with His attributes. For example, if I would be tempted to gossip I might find myself thinking of kindness instead. If I feel like complaining I may remember patience or self-control. If I feel like lashing out the Spirit may prompt me onto the path of peace.

I’m not saying it always happens, or that I always choose the Spirit’s way. I have failed many times! But I have also been a recipient of gracious guidance many times. Hiding this part of God’s Word in our hearts, meditating on their meaning, and practicing them in our lives will lead to a growth of the fruit we display!

Something I learned at some point in my college years (I think? I wish I could remember) was that this list from Galatians 5:22-23 is not a list of fruitS (plural), but fruit (singular). As cute as it is to present children with colorful images of peace as a banana and joy as a pineapple, which is how it seems most of us learn this list, the original language is actually pointing us toward one thing. I found the image below and loved that the fruit of the Spirit was represented as a multi-colored but singular shape. I hope you will enjoy the image, and find yourself producing fruit as you walk by the Spirit and allow him to work in your life!

from Challies.com

2015 Verse of the Week #24: John 14:6 & 1 John 5:11-12

This week’s Scripture is another two-fer. The verses are John 14:6 and 1 John 5:11-12, and the song on “Seeds of Character” is called “The Life.” Here are the verses in the ESV (same as Seeds):

John 14:6

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

1 John 5:11-12

¹¹And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

These verses contain powerful truths that are central to the Christian faith. We believe that Jesus is who he said he is, and therefore the things he said are to become our testimony, lived out in our words and actions.

I believe that turning from sin and trusting in Jesus Christ is the only way to be reconciled to God, and that life with God’s Holy Spirit leads the follower to walk in truth, and the follower’s earthly life will “end” with being brought into God’s presence in heaven. This is the gospel, and this the testimony I’m trying to live out. I want to live a godly life, but I am so lacking in so many areas. I thank God for graciously giving me what is required to walk in the way of life, and pray that I will desire his truth more and more as I go. I need it!

A Christian life well lived has been on my mind for the past couple of days, as I am mourning with my family the death of one of my great-aunts, who passed away peacefully at the age of 94. The las time I saw her we spent many happy moments together and told her I loved her. Because I really, really do. I’m sad because I don’t get to see her anymore when I visit my extended family, but I’m glad she is at rest in the presence of the Lord. Indulge me; this post is going to be pretty nostalgic.

I have fond memories of my Auntie Barb: Ooh-ing and aah-ing over her many collectibles when I was little, hugs and kisses with each greeting, her calling us “sweetie” and saying “I love you,” listening to funny stories from her life (told by herself or by others as she giggled and added details), receiving special little gifts, Sundays at church during my college years (when she would often catch a little nap during the sermon), her voice– high and gentle, her eyes– always gleaming, her face– always smiling. Before Mike and I got married I got to watch her instruct him in the art of cake decorating as they prepared fondant decorations for our wedding cupcakes. She and another auntie tended the guest book at our wedding, and I was so happy that all of our guests would be greeted by such kind, gentle, and joyful ladies. (And they were seriously adorable!)

But the blessing my Auntie and the rest of my “greats” have provided in my life is more than stories or presents or even family love and support. From these older women and men, especially the ones I’ve come to know well, their faith is the biggest and best blessing they could give me. They were some of the first older people I ever knew. What a privilege it is to be loved by someone who is already halfway down life’s road (or further!) when you step onto it, someone who has walked with the Lord and learned how to trust and obey. Not that my greats are perfect people– I think they would be the first to tell you that they are not. But when I think of them, and specifically of my Auntie Barb right now, I see what can happen when we live a life connected to God through Christ and walk in step with the Spirit. I am so glad I got to know my auntie and benefit from the wisdom, maturity, and fruit of the Spirit that God brought forth in her life as she followed Him.

Here’s what I’m getting from my verses of the week: to know someone who walks with The Way (Christ) is a gift. Today, this week, and for the rest of my life I want to remember that I am not the sole beneficiary of the gifts God gives to me like faith, forgiveness, love, strength, peace, and more. I want to remember that as I follow The Way I may be (should be) blessing those around me, instructing them, and encouraging them to be connected to God through Christ. That is the legacy I want to leave, not for the sake of my own name, but for the sake of others and for the sake of God’s great name– he is the one who made us, loves us, and provided a way to be with him in spite of our sin. May the name of the Lord be great in me and may I return to these verses and the rest of the Word for the wisdom to live this life well.

The joy of heaven will also be motivating me this week as I think of my dear sweet auntie in God’s very presence, unencumbered by her earthly form and enjoying her Savior. I look forward to seeing her there when I am called to receive my own undeserved reward.

2015 Verse of the Week #23: Romans 3:23 & 6:23

This week I’m focusing on two related verses, sung together as track 2 on “Seeds of Character.” The song is called “The Wages and The Gift,” and combines Romans 3:23 and 6:23. I’ll paste them both below in the NIV.

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These verses are very popular for memorization and for sharing the Gospel, and with good reason. They clearly state some of the basic truths about the Christian faith, and are easy enough to understand for those who are seeking answers about God. These verses are part of the good old “Romans Road” witnessing tool, and if you’re a fan of Google image (as I am!) you can find a fun bunny trail of great and not-so-great tracts from years gone by on there. Outdated graphics aside, these verses from Romans are timeless, true, and always useful in the life of a Christ-follower. God’s Holy Spirit has been using these words for centuries to point out our need for God and his gracious gift of life to his children.

Because Romans 3:23 is a little clause from the middle of a longer sentence (although with Paul they’re always longer sentences), and because both verses begin with “for,” I went ahead and re-familiarized myself with chapters 3 and 6 in their entirety. I had considered splitting these verses up across two weeks, but after reading both chapters decided against it. The ideas in each verse complement one another really well.

Looking at both verses in context helped me with ideas for application, so I’ll paste the natural habitat of each verse below. But I highly recommend reading Romans 3 and Romans 6 (only around 50 verses total) to see what the Spirit has for YOU!

Romans 3:21-26

²¹But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.²²This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

(I think verse 24 might actually be my favorite. Justification that I couldn’t achieve on my own– thank you, God! Moving along…)

Romans 6:15-23

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin,which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

¹⁹I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amazing stuff! So much truth!

In my own life I want to do a little bit of re-association with these verses. They bring up such a strong picture of “witnessing” to me that when I hear them I don’t really think of my own need, and that’s a problem. I will always need these words in my own heart and mind even though I have already accepted God’s free gift of eternal life. These verses do not provide us with a “one and done” lesson, but give ongoing guidance (through the Holy Spirit) as we strive to live our lives pushing sin away and reaching out for God.

I need to keep coming back to these words, because part of my heart keeps trying to go back to its old sinful ways (or “enslaving” itself to sin as seen in Romans 6). I didn’t just need these verses at the moment of my salvation, but I need them every hour. I need them to renew my mind, and I need them to change my actions.

May these words keep me from usurping judgment that belongs to God. May these words keep me on the path of righteousness in moments seen by others, and moments seen only by God. May these words remind me that I must continue receiving grace rather than relying on my own effort to produce righteousness. May these words draw me back to the one who saved my life. May these words in my life do more than I could ever imagine!

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts about these verses and ideas.

Coffee pairs well with Scripture memorization. 🙂

Chicken Wing Secrets

Awww… two-little-bone wing is actually my preferred wing.

I love wings (of both cuts) so, so much. Wings are often the only item on a restaurant menu that is safe(ish) for me to eat, and while I liked them before my diet changed, I love them now. Buffalo Wild Wings is probably my go-to chain restaurant for wings (I get the Salt & Vinegar or Desert Heat seasonings), and there are a couple of local spots that serve up tasty ones, too, although they come with sauce that I’m sure contains some no-no ingredients for me. They haven’t made me sick, so I don’t worry too much.

Still, if we buy wings for dinner we are guaranteed to eat less healthfully overall (because you HAVE to get fries, too!) and spend more money, and that goes for eating in or carrying out. But it seemed like too much work to make them at home, and I have failed in the past to achieve a perfect (or even good) wing at home.

I spotted a package of chicken wings reduced for quick sale at the store recently, and figured I would try again. I must confess that in the past I didn’t use a recipe (because how hard can it be), and I didn’t know you had to cut them into sections! No wonder I failed. It wasn’t until I looked at a recipe that I realized wings don’t come pre-cut, and there is a science to getting that perfect “crisp” when baking them at home.

Armed with this new knowledge, I set out to cut my wings into tips (which are discarded), drumettes, and whatever the other piece is called. And I learned something else: I am a lousy butcher. Cutting raw meat grosses me out, so I have not paid much attention to grain or cutting direction or the location of joints and ligaments. I just fumbled through the cutting step with my wings, which resulted in some blood (thankfully not mine, although the chicken blood was just as upsetting), and that made me even more uncomfortable with the whole process. If you are a chicken-wing-cutting novice like me, check out this quick video. I hope it might save someone the trouble and mental anguish I went through. I will share some hope: even though I butchered the butchering step, the blood did eventually go away, but next time I hope to avoid it altogether!

Okay, on to the real “secrets.” The recipe I used is originally from Cook’s Illustrated, posted by Recipe Tin Eats with a sauce recipe of her own. It turns out that coating the wings in baking powder (I use a gluten free one by Ener-G) and baking them at a lower temperature/rack position before turning up the heat and raising the rack creates a just-like-fried crisp. The honey-garlic sauce was delicious, too. Served up with a heaping side of roasted veggies (green bean/sweet potato/carrot/radish), the meal was much healthier than the usual restaurant fare. This recipe is a keeper for sure!

If you’ve been intimidated by wings in the past (or just uninformed) like I was, I hope you will be encouraged to go forth with confidence.

Image from Recipe Tin Eats

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