“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” —Hebrews 11:7

Noah is the first person mentioned in the Bible to get drunk.

What’s interesting is that his testimony isn’t the clichéd “I-was-once-doing-bad-things-but-then-Jesus-saved-me-and-now-I-don’t-do-bad-things-anymore” song and dance. It was quite the opposite… If Noah was sharing his testimony in a modern-day small group, or AA meeting, it might sound more like this:

“God used me in a mighty way to rescue my family from a sinful generation and preserve the entire human race… then I got drunk, and it had a consequential curse upon my grandson and all his descendants.”

That’s the unfiltered, unadulterated version of the story. No sanitizing the testimony. No narrative manipulation, and no damage control.

The Bible says that in a time when “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Genesis 6:5-6 

It was in the context of this generation that the Bible says: 

• Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord 
• Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation
• Noah walked with God
• Noah did all that God commanded him

It was after all these descriptors we read that Noah “became drunk,” and shameful things followed. In this we see that Noah was far from perfect. He was broken just like the rest of us. These are facts. What is a bit of a stretch is the popular stigma across the internet today that “Noah was a drunk.” In all its raw and unsanitized narrative of people, nowhere in the Bible is Noah defined as a drunk.

Rather, the last couple of accounts in the New Testament define Noah as “an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11), and “a herald of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).

We can learn from Noah that failures don’t define us. Regardless of how other people try to stigmatize us in our broken places, God never defines us the way people do. Google doesn’t get the final word on how Noah is labeled, and it is the same with you and me. When we allow God to define for us the story He is writing through our lives, it becomes irrelevant what any of the human commentators say or think. Their labels are finite; God’s opinion is infinite. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

God, thank you for the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus—faith that acknowledges that HE alone is my holiness and redemption. Holy Spirit, empower me to live from my true identity in Christ, and disregard the stigmas of other people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. How would you describe a “cliché” testimony?
2. Have you ever felt stigmatized by others?
3. What encourages you about Noah’s story?
4. What is the Good News of Jesus (“the righteousness that comes by faith”)?
5. Is there a sinful episode that you need to confess, repent of, and put under the blood of Jesus so that you can walk in freedom of new life?

The post God Uses Broken People (Part 6): Noah appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.” —Mark 16:9

“You do not move ahead by constantly looking in a rear-view mirror. The past is a rudder to guide you, not an anchor to drag you. We must learn from the past but not live in the past,” wrote Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe.

We should learn from the past, but God never lets our past dictate our future. Jesus healed people whose lives were broken from the inside out, and Mary Magdalene was one of them. She was a woman whose inner demons had her tormented and incapable of living in meaningful and healthy relationships. Though her prison bars were invisible, she was no stranger to solitary confinement of the soul. Jesus didn’t just deliver her from one or two demons, but seven!

This formerly disgraced and stigmatized woman had her life radically changed when she encountered Jesus. Her story reminds us that God often uses people with a troubled past to boldly declare His wonders to others.

Mary followed Jesus faithfully from Galilee to Jerusalem. Her bravery is seen in her presence at Jesus’ crucifixion, while most of the men were fleeing to avoid arrest. She may have been scared, grieved, and heartbroken, but she was there, risking it all in her devotion to Christ. Then she was the first to visit the tomb on Resurrection morning, and the first person to whom Jesus revealed himself after the resurrection. God used Mary to go and proclaim to others that Jesus was indeed alive.

Mary Magdalene showed up, had staying power, and proclaimed that the powers of darkness had been defeated. She gives credence to Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Similarly, your past never intimidates Jesus. So don’t let it define you or dictate your future. In Christ, you are a new creation. And when God decided to save you, He didn’t ask for anyone else’s opinion. Let that embolden your decision to show up in God’s great big mission, to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to proclaim in word and deed that Jesus is alive, and that light always overcomes the darkness.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me… despite me. Thank you for loving me when I was unlovable. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth that transforms, help me to never let the past dictate my confidence and hope in the future. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. When have your personal “demons” crippled you? What were the lies they spoke over you?
2. What is the Good News about Mary Magdalene’s story? How does that Good News speak to your present trials?
3. In what ways has your past been trying to hijack your future?
4. Is there a sin, a struggle, or an oppressive spirit that has taken you captive that warrants Jesus’ deliverance today?
5. To whom is God calling you to proclaim His Gospel, to testify that light indeed overcomes the darkness?

The post God Uses Broken People (Part 5): Mary Magdalene appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” —Jesus (Luke 22:32)

In last week’s devotion, we talked about when God called you He already factored in your brokenness. He already factored in your weakness. He already factored in your scars, your failures, your dysfunction, your stupidity, and your foolishness. He even factored in your FUTURE failures. Peter’s relationship with Jesus is textual proof of this.

I travel on airplanes very often. I can tell you without a doubt that I have never boarded an airplane and proceeded to give the pilot a flight plan on how to execute his job. If I attempted to, I’d probably get escorted off the plane. Yet in Luke 5, we see a carpenter giving a professional fisherman instructions on how to do his job.

Peter tries to explain to Jesus that he’s already done his job, toiling all evening without a catch, and it doesn’t make sense to go back out. My speculation is that under his breath, Peter is questioning why a carpenter is trying to tell him how to do his job. Nevertheless, out of respect for the Rabbi, Peter does what Jesus tells him to and it is a humbling moment for Peter. The ensuing miraculous catch brings Peter to a life-changing encounter from which he will never be the same.

Jesus calls Peter to follow Him and the faith adventure is on. Over the next three years, Peter will get overconfident in his own strength, demonstrate impulsive behaviors, make promises he can’t keep, will attempt to cut off an officer’s head, and in three consecutive scenarios cowardly deny ever knowing Jesus. But do you know what this broken disciple had going for him? Jesus was praying for him (Luke 22:32), just like He is praying for you and me today (Hebrews 7:25).

After Peter denied Jesus, he relapsed and went back to his old ways. But Jesus never gave up on Peter. Jesus pursued him all the way back to where he found him the first time… fishing. It’s here that Jesus recommissioned Peter, reaffirmed his calling, and gave him a redirection to get back on the right path of loving people well and “feeding God’s lambs” (John 21:1-22). Jesus uses Peter to build his church and the disciple ends up finishing strong in his God-calling.

If you’ve been known to blow your witness for Christ a time or two, you’re in pretty good company. Your failures and frustrations over spiritual “Kryptonite” moments don’t push Jesus away, they are simply reminders that you can’t do this thing without Him. You need His grace every day to grow in Christlikeness, and to catch you when you are weakened. Jesus doesn’t run out on broken people, he pursues them, even all the way back to where he first found them, and recommissions them out of failure. Think about that as you seek to abide in him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you have always used broken people to accomplish your purposes in a broken world. Help me to know that the only thing that is truly unbroken, is your constant love and steadfast faithfulness. Help me to find sufficiency in your grace, that even in weakness your strength would be made perfect. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. In what aspects of Peter’s life or character can you relate to?
2. When has Jesus called you to do something that went against your logic or experience?
3. When has God shown himself strong in your weakness?
4. In contrast to Peter’s inconsistencies, what do we see consistent with Christ in this relationship?
5. Do you need to confess a relapse in your faith so that you can be restored to a right path in your walk with Jesus?

The post God Uses Broken People (Part 4): Peter appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time…” —Ecclesiastes 3:11

Kintsugi is a 500-year­-old Japanese art with an interesting philosophy. In kintsugi, broken pottery is valued as a treasure rather than a piece of trash. The art treats breakage and repair as part of the esteemed history of an object—something of a redemptive beauty—rather than something to disguise, cover up, or replace altogether. That’s why in Japan, people will pay big money for the elegance and aesthetic appeal of “golden joinery,” the kintsugi method of mending a vessel after it has been fractured.

The brokenness of our past is an integral part of our unique story, and God’s glorious art of making beautiful things out of broken pieces.

We see this truth played out in the life of Joseph. As his story begins in Genesis 37, we see a “bratty” teenage boy with a world of opportunity ahead of him. Joseph has raw talent and a head full of big dreams. Though it’s evident to Joseph himself, his parents, and his siblings that there is something special about this young man’s gifting, the broken and painful process he must go through makes his journey look a lot like a fractured vessel in the hands of a masterful kintsugi Artist.

Joseph is nearly killed by his brothers before being sold into slavery. Sometime later he got a big promotion, and just when it seems like he’s on a path to brighter days, the boss’ wife falsely accuses him of sexual assault. Joseph is thrown into prison for some years. Later, when it appears he has someone who might advocate for him before the parole board, that person forgets all about Joseph… for two full years.

A dark prison cell housing a broken inmate might seem like a place of dead-end doom, yet it is often the place where God does some of His greatest work in the soul. I came to know Christ personally in a Florida juvenile detention center as a despairing teenager, where I initially thought my life was over. Little did I know it was just the beginning! Joseph also had no idea of what God was setting him up for.

When you read the rest of the story, we see how God raises Joseph up from that prison to become second in command over all of Egypt, successfully managing all of Pharaoh’s enterprise during years of famine, saving multitudes of lives. What’s more is that those cats in Joseph’s dysfunctional family who at one time tried to bury him, end up coming to Egypt to find food, and Joseph providentially secures a better future for all of them.

In the end, Joseph “spoke kindly” to his siblings with these comforting words: “Do not fear… As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” (Genesis 50:19-21)

In Joseph’s life we see that brokenness wasn’t working against his destiny, it was actually working in partnership with his destiny. What if you had a new outlook on your past relationship hurts? What if lies, slander, or false accusations about you were actually setting you up for something really big? What if the furnace of abuse or trauma takes you to a depth of empathy where the flames of fierce advocacy ignite you to make a difference in the lives of other hurting people? What if being forgotten for a season meant that God was sparing you from crowds that would’ve taken you down a path of regretful shame? What if loneliness meant that God is setting you up for an unimaginable position of servant, humble leadership? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for the beautiful things you make out of broken pieces. You make all things new, and all things good for those who love you and are called according to your purpose. Help me to trust the Artist’s heart, even when I can’t see His hand. Help me to rest in the truth that you make all things beautiful in its time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. What comes to mind when you hear the words “damaged goods”?
2. How have you come to interpret the brokenness of your life?
3. What is the Good News in Joseph’s story? In what way does Joseph’s journey prefigure Christ’s atonement, who secures and provides for our eternal salvation?
4. In what ways might you need to re-imagine what God is doing through your brokenness?
5. Is there a person you need to forgive, who has been part of your broken journey?

For further study on the story of Joseph, check out my book “Joseph the Dreamer: From These Ashes I Will Rise”, available on paperback or Kindle.

The post God Uses Broken People (Part 3): Joseph appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.” —Hebrews 11:31

To typecast someone is to repeatedly identify a person with a label or cast them as a stereotype. In Hollywood, typecasting is used to describe an actor’s natural look or typical character. Directors and casting agents routinely typecast actors, choosing them for particularly similar roles to play, usually because he or she is suited to that type of part. When an actor is typecast, they are locked into being cast for a certain type of character, always a version of the same thing.

But actors aren’t the only ones who get typecast. So do you, and so do I. Admittedly or not, people slap us with labels all the time of who they think we are, what they think about our identity, how our character should play out, and what our role is in this world. And if we are going to be honest with ourselves, we do the same to others.

Rahab was typecast too. If Netflix was doing a docuseries on the “red light district” of Jericho, this Canaanite woman would’ve likely been cast as the main character. Whether it was her primary work or a side hustle, Rahab worked as a prostitute in a corrupt, pagan culture. She was not highly valued by her people. She was an outcast—a throw-away person.

A woman of the night was far from the kind of “holiness material” we might assume would characterize those whom God would select to be part of the family tree that would ultimately give birth to the Savior of the world. Yet, God used the great faith of this broken and scandalous woman to receive the Israelite spies, save her family, and ultimately land a role in the lineage of Jesus Himself.

What I am reminded about Rahab’s story is that humans are not the only ones who typecast… so does God, and in ways that don’t always fit our criteria. Scripture tells us:

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”  — 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

That’s right, God typecasts the weak, the foolish, and the broken people of this world to do mighty things in His name so that the glory will only go to Jesus, and those who boast, will only boast in the Lord. Even in our sinfulness, God finds us where we are. God not only saves the worst of sinners, but He also chooses to use them in roles that the world cannot understand.

In the New Testament, both James 2:25 and Hebrews 11:31 praise this Old Testament woman yet continue to identify her as “Rahab the prostitute.” You’d think that after hundreds of years this poor woman could catch a break from her shameful past and get a new label. Yet I believe this may be in the Bible to emphasize the fact that God still uses broken people even when other people refuse to release them from their past labels.

Rahab was forsaken by her own people, carried a stigma of shame, and yet against all of her community’s disdain for her, God still loved and wanted Rahab for His story and His glory. Like Rahab, we also might feel far too broken or unqualified for the story God calls us into. We might feel too overcome with regret or failure to think we fit the role. But God writes a better script than the fear and condemnation in our hearts. He casts a much better story than the one others might narrate about us—even hundreds of years after our death! Rahab is proof that God used broken people in the past, and still does today. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, your kingdom come, and your will be done in and through broken people. Thank you for demonstrating through Rahab the kind of love you lavish upon scandalous sinners, calling them to a better story, and writing for them a better script than one of shame and condemnation. Encourage every reader to know that you are a God who delights in using broken people. Help them to know that they are loved beyond measure and that justification comes through the blood of Jesus alone. In His name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. Be honest, if you were God, would you have chosen Rahab for this role?
2. When has a stereotype been hurtful to you?
3. Why does God choose the foolish things of the world to “shame” the wise?
4. How would you explain the Gospel (Good News) through Rahab’s story?
5. What takeaway from Rahab’s story is critical to how you will flesh out your faith this week?

The post God Uses Broken People (Part 2): Rahab appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

Text: Deuteronomy 34:10-12, Hebrews 11:23-27

“And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face…” —Deuteronomy 34:10

I’ve been invited to a men’s conference in Kentucky to speak on the subject, “God Can Use a Broken Man.”  It’s led me to begin writing a devotional series on the subject, and today I want to kick that series off by looking at the man, Moses.

Moses was a man whom God used mightily to bring life-change to millions of people. It’s far too easy to romanticize Moses’ great leadership influence and fail to see the broken parts of his life.  We forget that he was a murderer, had a hot temper (even in the prime of his ministry), and broke faith with God, causing him to miss out on the Promised Land.

To say that Moses had marital tension with his wife, Zipporah, is to put it mildly.  With that whole circumcision incident in Exodus 4, and the pain it must’ve caused their young son, she lamented bitterly that Moses was a “bridegroom of blood” to her.  Got Questions notes that “in English this might be paraphrased as ‘a husband of horrors,’ ‘a mate of misery’ or ‘a groom of gore,’ with the sentiment being, ‘If I had not married you, I would not have had to do this awful thing to my son.’”

When I see Moses taking the calf those idolatrous Israelites had made (Exodus 32), burning it, and grinding it into powder, then forcing the people to drink it, I cringe a little.  Actually, I cringe a lot.  It’s not much different from Nehemiah’s approach to church discipline when he beat people, cursed them, and pulled out their hair for being unfaithful to God.  Does anyone else see the spiritual abuse here?  Somebody needs to unearth the “Twitter Files” on these guys!

Moses was the leader to whom God entrusted the Law, yet in Exodus 32 we see him flinging those tablets and shattering them in a moment of anger.  Somebody needed a timeout… or perhaps a punching bag!  Compare Moses’ unsanitized resume with the sanitized bio on the website of any church leader today, and you are sure to get two different pictures. It is doubtful you are going to find a ministry leader’s resume today that reads “murderer, gets angry, may break faith with God at some point, and is a ‘groom of gore’ to his wife.”  But you will get a lot of things like Ph.D, D.Min, M.Min, etc.

I’m certainly not making light of a need for leaders to be well educated or demonstrate biblical qualifications for ministry, I’m simply contrasting how the Bible narrates and how our modern world narrates.  One is sanitized, the other is unfiltered.  And what I love about God’s Word is that it is explicitly clear from Genesis to Revelation that the LORD uses deeply flawed individuals to do incredibly great things.  It’s not to justify or make much of Moses’ failures, it’s solely to make much of the God Who knows the depth of our depravity and yet still graciously calls us and uses us.

God didn’t revoke Moses’ calling because of his brokenness—He called him despite his brokenness.  Jesus demonstrated that Moses foreshadowed His own work as the Messiah (John 3:14–15), and he is listed in Hebrews 11 as exemplary of faith.  The fact that God Himself buried this broken man (Deuteronomy 34) with the following epitaph is quite encouraging for a man as deeply flawed as myself: “since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face… For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel” (Deuteronomy 34:10, 12).

With Moses we see the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Or as Zipporah might add, “the bloody.”  He was really broken when leading with meekness just as much as he was really broken while “seeing red” in killing that Egyptian or losing his cool with the Israelites.  And so it is with you, and me.  We are all broken.  If you’re struggling with the idea of whether or not God can use you due to feelings of being a failure, being too flawed, or sensing condemnation from others, be encouraged: When God chooses to use a broken person, He doesn’t check with other broken people to get their opinion or approval.  Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, when I read about Moses, I am so encouraged by the entire narrative. You chose to use a man so flawed, so imperfect, and so raw, yet he remained faithful to the end despite having episodes of broken faith. Help every reader know that You are a God Who uses broken people without regard to the approval of others. There is none like You, showing steadfast love to undeserving sinners. Jesus, thank you for allowing your body to be broken, and your blood shed, so a broken man like me can be reconciled to a holy God. In your name I pray, Amen.  

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. When have you really blown it, to the point where you believed God was done with you?
2. What things about Moses’ flaws resonate the most with you? Why?
3. Why do we tend to let the opinions of others get in the way of how God wants to use us? How can you combat this in your life?
4. What has been a “tablet shattering” failure in your life that needs confession, repentance, and restoration?
5. Who is a person you can encourage this week who may be struggling with feelings of condemnation or unworthiness to God?

When God chooses to use a broken person, He doesn’t check with other broken people to get their opinion or approval.

The post God Uses Broken People (Part 1): Moses appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” —Exodus 25:9

A “knockoff” is an unauthorized copy or cheap imitation of the original.

We live in a world where the temptation is strong to copy the work of others to get noticed, sell a product or service, or shortcut the growth process of getting established in our own identity. The problem with imitation is that the more we imitate, the further we get from the originality God has blueprinted for us.

So, it is with vision. It’s cheap to copy someone else’s vision and try to make it your own. It can also be hollowing and disappointing because you fail to find yourself in the process. Vision is not just about getting somewhere; it’s about finding out who YOU are in the process. Imitation hijacks this journey of self-discovery.

We fall well short of God’s pattern when we try to copy someone else’s vision rather than getting it directly from God. Vision should and must come from God. When God commanded Moses to build Him a sanctuary in Exodus 25, He gave him the detailed pattern for it and told Moses it shall look exactly like the pattern given. God was the Visionary and Moses was merely the project foreman. Moses didn’t try to engineer his own plan, he didn’t try to copy another person’s work, or get his model from something in creation—He went straight to the Creator.

Amazing things happen when we see our roles rightly in Yahweh’s great big Kingdom enterprise! When we get our marching orders from God instead of the beat of someone else’s drum, we are more in rhythm with God’s tune for our missional assignments here on earth.

There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by others or learning from them, but something is always lost when we copy someone else’s pre-existing vision. When God puts something uniquely in our hearts, passion and authority come with it. But passion will erode with the copy. With the original, we have a relevant voice. When we imitate, we lose our voice. A copied vision is also more prone to discouragement and easier to quit on because you have no clear reference point to stand on when the vision faces adversity.

We must do the hard work of digging up God’s unique vision for us, and then let it shape us. There may be a unique vision God wants to give you personally but cannot because you are too preoccupied with trying to copy someone else’s vision. Consider spending time with God in prayer, giving deep introspection to parts of your life that have been hijacked by a “knockoff” of the matchless vision and inimitable identity God has for you. You may need to repent of some cheap forms of imitation and begin to find “yourself” in Christ. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you have such a satisfying original dance waiting to be discovered in every one of us. Reveal the knockoffs in my life, lead me to repentance, and empower me to get my vision and originality from you as opposed to some cheap copy of someone else. Remind me daily that this is where you get the most glory from my life—being exactly who YOU created me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. When have you struggled to find yourself because you were too preoccupied with copying someone else?
2. In what way was Moses able to hear from God and receive the unique blueprints for the tabernacle?
3. What was God’s connected promise to these “blueprints”? (v. 8)
4. What needs to be repented of in terms of copying others instead of being authentic in your God-shaped identity?
5. How can you spend time this week capturing God’s unique vision for your life?

The post Don’t Be a Knockoff or a Cheap Imitation appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

The constant linking of Whiteness with evangelical Christianity, though, obscures another major story. There are millions of Black, Latino, African and Asian evangelical Christians who are already profoundly changing America.

—John Blake

Blake goes on to say that “these non-White evangelicals will likely not only save the American church but transform the nation’s politics.”

He says the future will belong to people like Pastor Peter Lim, founder of a growing congregation of Asian-Americans called “4Pointes Church of Atlanta.” Lim, a Korean American evangelical, says the media’s hyperfocus on White Christian nationalism often renders communities like his invisible.

He says he’s attended evangelical conferences where the only people who are featured onstage are White pastors or leaders. He wrote in an essay that Asian-American evangelicals often experience “perpetual invisibility” — akin to what Asian Americans encounter more broadly in this country.

“You just feel overlooked — your story or your experience is minimized,” he says. “It’s not done intentionally. But you don’t feel like you belong. It tells you that your stories don’t belong. It does hurt.”

Lim’s experience is the result of a passive form of racism. It’s not deliberate or malign; it’s a sin of omission rather than commission by many journalists, church leaders and commentators who rightly warn about the dangers posed by White Christian nationalism:

“The true definition of ‘evangelical’ has nothing to do with a color or a political party. Evangelicals are loosely defined as Christians who share a ‘born-again’ dramatic personal conversion, who take the Bible seriously or literally and believe they’re supposed to spread their faith to others.”

Blake says it may surprise some people to learn that in 2024, the face of evangelical Christianity in the US is more likely to be brown than White.

The numbers tell the story:

—According to a 2017 survey, one in three American evangelicals is a person of color.

—A higher number of Black Christians — 41% — identify as evangelicals than their White Christian counterparts.

—The fastest-growing segment of evangelicals in the US are Latino Americans.

—And at least 80% of the members of evangelical student groups at competitive universities like Princeton, Harvard and Stanford are Asian-American, according to one estimate.

The post Evangelicals and White Christian Nationalism appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” —Psalm 51:10

Cyclist Lance Armstrong overcame incredible personal adversity to reach the highest levels of success. Then, just as spectacularly, he fell from grace in a public scandal that destroyed not only his reputation, but also the reputations of many others who had devoted themselves to him—in the end, tarnishing the entire sport of professional cycling.

Amidst Armstrong’s “doping” years, he and others involved had rationalized that taking illegal performance enhancing substances was a “necessary evil,” whether it be to stay competitive in a sport where others were doping, to protect sponsors, or to sustain a “benevolence” movement that was giving hope to so many cancer survivors. But once you convince yourself that one evil is necessary, it always breeds a justification for the necessity of other evils to cover up the initial one.

That’s precisely what happened to David after he sought out an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. Once he discovered that she was pregnant with his baby, he went into full damage control mode rather than repentance mode, in which he attempted to cover up the scandal with a “necessary evil” of manipulating and deceiving Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. When the manipulation tactic didn’t work, David used his power to engineer another self-protecting necessary evil—a murderous plot to take Uriah’s life, even though Uriah had been as loyal to David as any person could be.

Eventually David’s sin found him out, as it does with all of us. Though forgiveness and restoration in his relationship with God was realized, the terrible consequences of his sin impacted his house for generations.

I believe that every “big” scandal once began with a “little” evil.

I believe that every “big” scandal once began with a “little” evil. Forests of public shame were once tiny seedlings of secret sins. All the human suffering we see in our world today can be traced back to taking a small bite out of a little piece of fruit that God said was off limits. Every addiction can be traced back to one small decision to cross a line. Children don’t dream of growing up to become drug addicts, prostitutes, or inmates. A man doesn’t stand at the wedding altar, thinking, “I will one day betray my spouse.” No, that happens from repeated little glances, hidden fantasies, and slight flirts that all grow up to become big sins.

Maybe there is a sin in your life that once bothered your conscience but has now become acceptable. We don’t get to a place of having a “seared” conscience overnight, it is the result of calculated “little” sins getting rationalized over and over again as we get comfortable with them. We need to recognize the little evils for what they are, confess them, and repent of them before they take us further than we want to go and keep us longer than we want to stay.

Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” David acknowledged his sin in Psalm 51 and sincerely cried out to God for a pure heart. He asked God to restore the pre-scandal joy that once danced in his soul. The whole tone of this psalm is that all persons are sinners and need God’s mercy. The psalm intends to keep the entire congregation from ever presuming on God’s grace. Think about that as you seek to confront the little sins in your life and abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

“Heavenly Father, help me to see sin as You do. Protect me from rationalizing necessary evils or justifying so-called little sins in my life. Help me to see that no sin is little with you, and that my sin nailed Jesus to the cross to absorb your judgment and wrath. Holy Spirit, empower me to live a life of bold integrity in all of my pursuits, with a pure and clean heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. What public scandal has shocked you the most?
2. In what ways is sin progressive?
3. What can we learn about ourselves from David’s scandal and cover-up crusade? What can we learn about God from Psalm 51? What is the Good News here?
4. What little sins, or “necessary evils,” have you grown comfortable with? What are you doing today that bothered your conscience in the past?
5. Is there a sin that needs to be confessed? Is there a joy that needs to be restored? Is there an area of vulnerability that needs to be guarded with your integrity?

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“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” —Ephesians 4:31-32

It’s hard to forgive people who’ve hurt us. But unforgiveness leads only to a cul-de-sac of bitterness. And we all know that “cul-de-sac” is just a French word that makes a dead-end street sound a bit classier, though it’s still a dead end.

I’ve heard bitterness described as a rattlesnake which, when cornered, can become so angry it will bite itself with its toxic venom. What a picture of the self-sabotaging nature of anger! Holding a grudge has also been likened to holding a stick of dynamite after the wick has been lit. It’s only a matter of time until an emotional explosion causes further damage to the person holding it and anyone in proximity.

Paul had some wisdom for those struggling to let go of bad things that happened in the past. After warning the followers of Jesus in Ephesus to avoid letting their anger turn into sin, thus giving opportunity to the devil, he speaks of the need for grace-filled actions that are good for the building up of others. Anything short of this would “grieve” the Holy Spirit of God. Thus, he gives the command: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

The Greek word for “bitterness” here is used three other times in the New Testament. It is used by Peter when he reprimanded Simon the Sorcerer for being in the “gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity,” calling on him to repent of his wickedness (Acts 8:22-23). It is used in Romans 3:14 in the context of those with venomous and cursing lips, having not known the “way of peace.” And thirdly, it is used in Hebrews 12:15 in the context of those troubled by a “root of bitterness” who “fail the grace of God” and become “profane” and “defiled,” such as Esau who sold his birthright and found no place of repentance.

Bitterness is a treacherous cul-de-sac to land in. A good navigation point to examine whether we are on this street is if we strongly desire justice for others but mercy for ourselves. When we want forgiveness from God but fail to offer forgiveness to others, there is an indicator we need repentance to turn things around and get on the right road to recovery, where we can find healing and peace. We can do this by turning our thoughts, not just once, but again and again on the words “as God in Christ forgave you.” Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, your holiness demands that I extend the same forgiveness to others that has been mercifully extended to me through Christ. I cannot glorify Jesus while holding a grudge. Holy Spirit, reveal in my heart any inclination of bitterness, anger, or resentment that needs to be confronted. Show me what repentance from bitterness looks like, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. What makes forgiveness so difficult?
2. When have you held onto a grudge, or allowed a root of bitterness to get into your heart?
3. How has Christ’s mercy and forgiveness impacted your life?
4. What needs to happen for you to desire mercy for others to the same degree you desire mercy for yourself?
5. Is this passage evoking any need of repentance in your life?

The post Living in a Cul-De-Sac of Bitterness appeared first on Jimmy Larche.