The Jeans That Broke Everything
Read The Daily:
“And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” – Acts 15:19
I remember our fullback on our team in college. Tough kid, but when he told me why he hated church, his fists clenched and his voice cracked. His mom — single, raising four boys — finally worked up the courage to try church. She put on her best jeans, probably the only nicest shirt she owned, and walked through the doors. Before she could even find a seat, some guy stopped her: “We don’t wear jeans in this place.” He watched his mom crumble in the car afterward. Years later, sitting in my dorm room, he’s still furious, he said, “I hate the church and church peopel..Is that who you are?”
The damage from that moment rippled through years. One sentence about denim became a wall between an entire family and any concept of God’s love. The man at the door probably went home thinking he’d upheld some standard, never knowing he’d just confirmed every worst suspicion about church people. Meanwhile, a kid grew up equating God with the rejection of his mother. How many more like him are out there, carrying someone else’s small cruelty like shrapnel? The gospel is supposed to be about tearing down barriers, not enforcing dress codes. Every time we add a requirement God didn’t ask for, we risk becoming the reason someone stays away forever.
Why are we guarding doors Jesus died to open?
If grace has no dress code, why should we? My prayer is simple: God, keep me too amazed by Your mercy to ever manage Your guest list.
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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?
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Read The New Testament In A Year
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?” Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished. He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.” They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone. [After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn’t believe her. Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. They went back and told the rest, but they weren’t believed either. Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned. Mark 16:1-16
Whoever is a slave must make the best of it, giving respect to his master so that outsiders don’t blame God and our teaching for his behavior. Slaves with Christian masters all the more so—their masters are really their beloved brothers! These are the things I want you to teach and preach. If you have leaders there who teach otherwise, who refuse the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction, tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors. Eventually there’s an epidemic of backstabbing, and truth is but a distant memory. They think religion is a way to make a fast buck. A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough. But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses. I’m charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn’t give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don’t slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He’ll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He’s the only one death can’t touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He’s never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can’t take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes. 1 Timothy 6:1-16