Stop Doing Push-Ups in the Parking Lot
Read The Daily:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23
Have you ever felt like you needed to “get your life together” before coming back to God? Like you needed a few good days, a cleaner mindset, or a reset button before you could show your face again? A lot of us live spiritually like we’re standing outside the building trying to prove we deserve to go in. We promise ourselves we’ll try harder this time — and when we slip, we start the cycle all over again.
The truth is, grace doesn’t work like a waiting room. You don’t have to earn your way back into something you already belong to. The message this week challenged the idea that faith is about managing behavior well enough to stay close to God. Instead, it reminded us that belonging comes first. The relationship is already secure — not because of perfect performance, but because of what Jesus already finished.
When you believe you’re constantly on probation, every mistake feels heavier than it should. But when you start from acceptance instead of anxiety, growth becomes less about fear and more about trust. You begin to show up honestly, not pretending you’ve got it together, but knowing you don’t have to.
Today, if you feel like you’ve drifted or failed, resist the urge to “prove yourself” before reconnecting. Just walk back in. Talk to God honestly. Take one small step forward without waiting to feel worthy first. Grace isn’t a reward for progress — it’s the place you begin again.
Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.
Read The New Testament In A Year
Jesus responded, “First let me ask you a question. Answer my question and then I’ll present my credentials. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans? Tell me.” They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, “If we say ‘heaven,’ he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe John; if we say ‘humans,’ we’ll be up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet.” They decided to concede that round to Jesus. “We don’t know,” they said. Jesus replied, “Then I won’t answer your question either.” Then Jesus started telling them stories. “A man planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, erected a watchtower, turned it over to the farmhands, and went off on a trip. At the time for harvest, he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect his profits. “They grabbed him, beat him up, and sent him off empty-handed. So he sent another servant. That one they tarred and feathered. He sent another and that one they killed. And on and on, many others. Some they beat up, some they killed. “Finally there was only one left: a beloved son. In a last-ditch effort, he sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said, ‘This is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all for ourselves.’ They grabbed him, killed him, and threw him over the fence. “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He’ll come and get rid of everyone. Then he’ll assign the care of the vineyard to others. Read it for yourselves in Scripture Mark 11:29-33, 12:1-11
I, Paul, together here with Silas and Timothy, send greetings to the church at Thessalonica, Christians assembled by God the Father and by the Master, Jesus Christ. God’s amazing grace be with you! God’s robust peace! Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions. You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble. Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom. So, friends, it’s obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn’t slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God’s Message to you, defiant of the opposition. God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, 2:1-5
Read More – Bible Project Overviews: Mark, 1 Thessalonians