Transparent moment here: amidst my month of early mornings and more time in my day, guess what still managed to get pushed aside? This study.
Yep. I'm sorry to say that it happened, but it happened. But this is also a good reality check illustrating that when my to do list grows, time in the Word is what gets nudged out from my day. Sad. I don't like to glorify busy...because truthfully I don't like being super busy. But I do know this: if you're too busy for God, you're too busy. Noted. Time to make a change.
Thankful for grace. Thankful that He knows my heart. Thankful forgiveness. Life happens. And we all need grace.
A lot of times people think when you become Christian, life becomes easy and trouble free. Though walking with God daily changes your life from the inside out, I love that Scripture tells us that "in this world you will have trouble."
It doesn't say you might have trouble or you won't have trouble. You will have trouble. It is the Truth!
But alongside that trouble, we receive peace. We have that peace because Christ overcame the world for us. He died in our place on a cross so that we might experience eternity with Him in Heaven.
John 16:33 is the first promise we're reading about for March's In the Word series that Kaitlyn and I are hosting. It's a 21 day study. It's free, completely accessible online, and we begin today! Please join us! [Access the study here.]
Share your thoughts along the way on Instagram with #ImInTheWord. We'll link up at the end of the study on Thursday, March 27th.
Please read in community with us as we explore what God promises in Scripture!
This was tough stuff. I definitely wouldn't call Hosea a "feel-good" book of the Bible. But we know that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16); therefore, we cannot pick and choose the parts of the Bible we listen to. ALL of it is meant for us. ALL of it points to Jesus.
It's so easy to read Hosea and think...goodness gracious, Israel is baaa-a-ad. Horrible. [I mean, I never realized the Bible said "whore" so much. Seriously!] But we are quick to forget who we are and what Jesus has done for us in spite of oursinfulness.
I love what the devotion said in response to reading Hosea 10:
Sisters, we need to keep in mind that sin is sin.
God grieves our sinful nature no matter what it looks like in human eyes.
We all have idols in our lives, we all stumble, we all put human capability before God's sovereignty at times.
No matter how sweetly it's packaged up and delivered, it's still sin.
- She Reads Truth
Ooof. "No matter how sweetly it's packaged up and delivered, it's still sin." That one hit home for me.
But God doesn't want us to get down on ourselves. He wants us to come to Him in our brokenness. He wants to cleanse and complete us. He wants us to sow in righteousness and reap in mercy:
In the Lord, we have endless hope. No matter how far or how fast or how long we try to run away. We cannot escape His love. He wants us to be in relationship with Him. The way He loves us transcends all human perception. Hosea illustrates these truths.
I love the Tim Keller quote that was shared on the penultimate day of the study:
The cross.
Hosea paints a story of what's to come--before the world has met its Savior.
The cross.
It covers every ounce of our sin, shame, and guilt.
Hi! Here is everything you need to know about our monthly linkup, In the Word!
How did this idea begin?
My darling friend Kaitlyn and I loved reading Wife After God with y'all so much that we couldn't stop there. So--very simply--this new monthly linkup called In the Word was born so our fellowship could continue!
What is this about?
It's about a commitment to being in the Word.
It's about prioritizing quiet time.
It's about fellowship, encouragement, accountability, and community.
It's about walking in faith together.
It's about Jesus.
What do I do?
We'll choose and announce a devotional to complete together each month. Read along with us! At the end, we'll link-up to share our thoughts and reflections!
