Day 11 Truth Will Set You Free

" If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31b-32).

The truth will set you free. We know that Jesus is the Word, and if we abide in the word we will know truth. I believe truth lies in the gospel. I am a sinner. I am messed up and imperfect and that is the truth. And there is freedom in knowing this. I don't have to prove myself, I know that I can never be perfect. While this isn't a cop-out to do whatever, there is still hope in knowing forgiveness.

But there is more-- Christ came and died for my sinfulness. And he erupted from the grave three days later, conquering sin and death. This is truth too, and the freedom that comes from this truth is inexplicable. Grace underserved. Love unmeasurable. Freedom from shame.

Abide in his word, make a dwelling place in it. It's full of truth. It is truth. You will be a disciple, and disciples make more disciples. In knowing truth, there's an inherent response to share it. Even when it hurts, there is still freedom in truth. Know truth, know freedom.

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Satisfied.

I’ve had many discussions in the past month about “satisfaction.” And of course, when it keeps coming up, God must be trying to tell me something, right? What does it mean to be satisfied? Satisfied (adj.) contented; pleased Satisfy (verb) to meet the expectations, needs, or desires of (someone); to fulfill (a desire or need) I feel like this word is so fitting for this time of year. The media consumes our minds with the temptation to buy, buy, buy! You see the holiday sales everywhere, and you want to get everyone the perfect gift. And of course, we all have our own wish lists full of goodies that we would love to love for a few days past the 25 th until they become just another “thing” in the closet, in the drawer, on the shelf, etc. Clearly we are not truly satisfied by things. We know this in our minds, just not always in our souls. But what about being satisfied in Christ? The Samaritan woman learned quickly that even just a sip of Li...

Day 25 What Are You Carrying?

Yesterday I drove up to New Hampshire to visit Ian (my boyfriend). I got there later in the afternoon and I had spent the morning working on things at home. About an hour after I got to NH, we went to the Fall Festival at his church across the border in Vermont. By the time we got there, it was dark already, I was pretty tired and hungry, and this event was HUGE. Much bigger than I expected. It was really cool-- food trucks, pony rides, laser tag, trunk-or-treating, Incredibles 2 playing on the side of the church, the works. But. Of course. My anxiety decided to form a lens over my eyes. The crowds of people around me grew louder and I felt trapped amongst the hundreds of bodies. My heart started to beat faster with every person who walked by. I have anxiety, I've mentioned this before, and many times large crowds will bring it on. I'm sure many of you know the feeling. And it can be the worst. Here I was, looking forward to having a fun time and enjo...

Day 27 You are a Leader

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Emma Veronica

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