Devotionals

"After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

From an early age, we teach ourselves to perform to be accepted. We long for a place to belong the moment we enter this world, and that desire never goes away. When we want to be received but fear fully being ourselves underneath it all, we mask our personalities. When we are afraid that the deepest parts of ourselves will be rejected by others, we choose to hide in places where we feel we can't be rejected. Over time, we learn unhealthy coping mechanisms instead of running to our heavenly Father for belonging, acceptance, and safety. But, by the grace of Jesus, I have come to understand that everything we look to for acceptance outside of God is a counterfeit to faith. In my journey with Jesus, I have begun to understand more deeply that the pat on the back after I do something good never satisfies. The college degree didn't fulfill my deepest longing to be fully seen and known. The temporary approval of man we "earn" through good works and performance is rubbish. The good deeds I do apart from God leave me feeling more empty inside because, apart from Him, they are done out of selfish ambition or personal gain. But when God opened my heart to this revelation of grace, true grace… everything changed. Nothing is more beautiful than realizing the unfathomable grace of Jesus. You begin to recognize that it's the only thing you've got, but at the same time, you have everything. It's the one thing that kept you, sustained you, and brought breath into your lungs for all of your life. My identity used to feel like a fragile system that could be crushed in an instant by things like disappointing people, making a mistake, or saying the wrong thing. But God in his grace rescued me from my pride and brokenness. And he is still bringing me into more freedom by grace alone. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow—no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.