The Writing Life
I’ll stand
With arms high
And heart abandoned,
In awe of the One
Who gave it all.
—from The Stand, Hillsong United
I recently read a devotional that said encountering Jesus’ love prompts people to whisper promises and make vows. The idea isn’t wrong, and yet, it seems somehow incomplete. When I read the Bible, I discover people who encounter God and abandon everything in response.
“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to him, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” — James 2:14-7, New American Standard Bible
“The biblical definition of love for oneself is not experiencing affectionate feelings but active care. As the apostle Paul put it, ‘For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourished it and cherishes it’ (Eph. 5:29). We do not love ourselves merely in ‘spiritual ways’ but holistically. And we do not merely love ourselves in ‘material’ ways. Man does not, after all, live by bread alone (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4).” — Russell Moore, Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel
“Committing to a local church is all about love.” — Tyler David, The Austin Stone
The Pharisees and Sadducees constantly try to trip Jesus up and inevitably end up with pie on their faces. Take when they ask Jesus what the greatest commandment is–Jesus answers simply, yet profoundly. (He always does that. It’s a thing.)
“Lies are the fig leaves we have sewn for ourselves.” — Halim Suh, The Austin Stone