Emboldened by the Spirit, Desiring to Speak Truth (Rock of Ages)

Hey friends,

I'm not much of a blogger. I just don't have the patience for it. But there are days when the heart stirs the mind and the fingers start to itch. Really, I've just had a lot of my mind and it's all Christ-centered. For some reason, I've had a lot of clarity of thought recently and I felt moved to 'scribble' a few down.

My mind has been having a lot of mini-explosions lately, partially because of the last few weeks leading up to Easter, but mostly because I'm not always paying attention. So when something I've read on multiple occasions or heard in different variations jumps out at me, I'm rocked to my core.

"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free". John 8:31-32

Something that has been so clear to me is the glaring misconception of Jesus' message. Yes, Jesus is love. As my pastor put it, "His love for us is mind blowing".  He willingly went to the cross because it was God's will, to be fulfilled by Jesus. His body was ripped to utter shreds, broken in the most humiliating way. And that's enough to conquer sin and death itself. But to say Jesus is love, I say to you that Jesus is so much more than that. So. Much. More.

"Christ's love for us is mind blowing and his hatred for our sin is mind blowing." My sin in regards to Jesus has been keeping me up and constantly on my mind. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6).

If we can reconcile that truth with our own roles in this life, then the concept of deserving to go to Hell for no other reason than we are all separated from God the moment we are born because we are born into sin is a little easier to accept. The notion of good and bad, in a worldly sense, is subjective.

There are so many people who have been hurt by the church and are turned off by Christianity. I know a lot of them and at different points in my life, I've been on both sides. My heart hurts for those people who are still tending the wounds and have such a warped view of what the church should look like, as well as the people who claim Christ. The word 'sinner' is used like a knife to be twisted in the backs of people, who then turn away from Jesus, running for anyone who would accept them.

If I could apologize to every single person who has been hurt in some way from the self-righteous zealots, I would. We are all sinners, no better than the next. Jesus's message, while promoting love and acceptance, doesn't have room for the desires of the flesh. It bares all, shows us for what we really are, and then makes us into a new creation.

Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and resurrected into a new, glorious body. Through Him, we die to sin and ourselves, are buried in corruption, and are resurrected into a new, glorious creation. Through Jesus, we can all be freed of sin.

Our chains are broken.

We become new.

Rock of Ages:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide myself in thee
Let the water and the blood
from thy wounded side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure
Save from wrath and make me pure

Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill the law's commands
Should my passion never fade
And my efforts all be weighed
All for sin could not atone
You must save and you alone

Rock of Ages
No one takes your life
Yet you died that I might live
Costly grace you freely give

Rock of Ages
You have paid the price
You were cleft to cover me
Let my hide myself in thee

Nothing in my hand I bring
Simply to the cross I cling
Naked come to thee for dress
Helpless look to thee for grace
Wretched to the fount I fly
Wash me, Savior, or I die

And while I draw my final breath
I'll rest upon your grace
And when I close my eyes in death
I'll wake to see your face

Just know that in this little corner of the world, my prayers are for you.

God Bless.

Courtney