Episode 479

TODAY’S READING

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:8

 

I wanted to address the reality that none of us can be this perfect version of ourselves. We try hard. We work hard. We try our best to be great friends and family members. We try hard to be great employees and co-workers, and we try hard to manage all the different relationships. And we try to manage our image online, and there are so many different pieces to our puzzles. 

 

Some of us are mothers, and there is this unrealistic expectation that society places our moms to be perfect. And some of us are not; some of us are in our single season looking for a spouse, and so we’re all over the place. And we’re all in different walks of life, but Christ is with us every day, and I think the most destructive thing that we can do is set unrealistic expectations rather than living in the full glory of God. Jesus was sent from heaven to earth to die for our sins. And that just means that there is sin in our lives. And we cannot say that we have no sin because we deceive ourselves like these verse. And then the truth is not in us. We are about people who believe in what Jesus did. 

 

We believe in the crucifixion, and we believe in the resurrection. And in the next couple of weeks. We’re gonna be diving deep into the Easter story, but I wanted to preface that by saying that we have to admit our sins in order for God to be the Savior. Because if we don’t, if we deceive ourselves and we put these unrealistic expectations over our lives, we diminish what Christ did for us. And we have these deceptive expectations so far lives that hinder us from living the fullness of Christ. It hinders us from living in His grace, and it has Mercy because it is through those different attributes that we get to live in freedom because we need a savior, and only those who are flawed and need a savior because if we weren’t, then why have a Savior in the first place.

 

Prayer

Lord, we love you so much. And we are extremely sorry for all of the expectations that we set in our lives. Lord, it diminishes the work that you did for us. And we know that we are flawed. We know that there is sin that lives in our lives, and Lord, we surrender to you on a daily basis. We repent for where we go wrong, but we also acknowledge that we are flawed that we are viewed; it is because we are flawed that we need a Savior and Lord. We do not deceive ourselves from that; we know that the truth is that you came down from heaven to sacrifice your life to be resurrected for us, and Lord, we don’t take that lightly. We are going to celebrate the Easter story in the next two weeks as we prepare our hearts for this beautiful, beautiful holiday in which we get to recognize all that you did for us. And we get to live in the freedom, and we get to live in the grace and in the Mercy like you so graciously give to us. We love you so much we ask that you protect this Thursday, and it is in your holy name that we pray today and every day. Amen