sunrise

I am increasingly appreciative of the Word. It has a way of speaking by the Holy Spirit that nothing else can do. I don’t know about you but there are a lot of other voices in my head – and the Word of God is able to transcend them and speak with clarity words of correction – words of hope – words of beauty and glory that I would not otherwise hear. Into a world filled with relativity and homespun, self-serving philosophies the Word of God is an anchor of truth. It is like a bright beacon of light cutting through the fog on my own thoughts and the muddle of this world. 

It is not just that it is truth- that is reliable – that I can bank my life on it– it is that. But I am so grateful that the Bible directs me again and again and again to the cross of Christ – the beauty of Jesus – to the ocean of His grace. Because my heart does not default to grace – it doesn’t – I am a born legalist – a self-righteous Pharisee – a works salvation guy – whose natural tendency is to doubt Christ’s work and to believe my failures are surmountable by my own efforts while simultaneously despairing that God could REALLY love a jerk like me.

Some of you are saying “How can you be a self-righteous Pharisee and a despairing jerk at the same time.” Oh, believe me I’ve mastered it. The good news is I’m aware of it – some of you out there are just as bad as me but you don’t know it. 🙂

Now you see how much I really do need the gospel every morning.