Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14
The heavenly chorus sang the birth announcement of Jesus, proclaiming not only his birth but the prophetic purpose of His death. The coming of Jesus would usher in the greatest glory to God and the only means of peace for us.
From the moment of His birth on that first Christmas (which we associate so strongly with the above words from the second chapter of Luke), every day of Jesus’ life on earth was a step in His journey to death on the cross.
He was born to die.
The prophet Isaiah foretold it years before:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
The love and obedience of Jesus makes Him wonderful, mighty, and everlasting. His obedience to become man and take on death makes Him the ultimate peacemaker, ushering in peace between God and man. Isaiah confirms in verse 7 that, “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.”
No end. The peace He provides is a lasting, eternal peace. This peace brings hope for tomorrow – confident, sure, steadfast hope that also resonates back to today. We can live unhindered. Not anxious. Free from the frenzy of trying and failing. Free from the is-it-enough worry and the is-it-real wondering.
Jesus changes everything … for that day (when each of us steps out of this life and into eternity) and for this day (where we move and breathe now).
He is wonderful for this day.
He is mighty for this day.
He is everlasting for this day.
He brings peace for this day.
Do you know that, beloved? Do you truly believe that? Or has your salvation been something akin to a life insurance policy – paid up and tucked away in the safe deposit box for a time in the future, with zero impact on today’s trials and responsibilities?
This Easter Sunday, I challenge you to celebrate a wondrous fact: the Gospel of Jesus brings good news for that day, but also for this day. Will you choose to rest in that blessed assurance, to lean into that truth that sets you free? To embrace the Gospel that not only delivers your soul for eternity, but allows you to live free – to live loved – today?
Let’s lift our voices with those of the heavenly chorus proclaiming glory to God, as we celebrate this perfect peace that has come to us through Christ’s triumphant resurrection.
Thank you, Jesus.
In Friday’s devotional video, Laura encouraged each of us to spend time in contemplation and prayer, as we ponder the peace we have because of the sacrifice Jesus made to secure our eternal salvation.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19
Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18
Today is Palm Sunday.
Two centuries ago, the people in Jerusalem welcomed Jesus with great fanfare, accolades, and the waving of palm branches. But their words of adoration were fickle and fleeting … just a few days later, the cries of “Hosanna!” would be replaced with, “Crucify him!”
As followers of Christ, Easter is our holiest of days. It trumps Christmas, New Year‘s Day, and Super Bowl Sunday. This is the day that changes everything. What can we do to prepare our hearts to worship our king, to celebrate His sacrifice, and to renew our commitment to live for the One who died for us?
Christ’s death ushered in peace with God. Perhaps the best way to prepare our hearts for Easter—to honor our Prince of Peace—is to “make every effort” to live out the peace He made possible.
The three verses shared above all implore us to lean in to peace with an all-in effort. Nothing held back. Meeting half way is not enough. The I-will-if-you-will mindset is unacceptable. And when Paul calls us to “do what leads to peace” and to “live at peace,” it’s clear he’s talking behavior, not just attitude.
Are you ready? Are you committed? It’s hard to get there. Oh, it sounds great, of course—until we think about the people in our family, our circle of friends, our neighborhood, our church, and our social media feeds who seem to take delight in pushing our buttons.
If committing to choose peace is hard, staying there is borderline impossible. Good thing we serve a God who not only calls us to peace, but empowers us with the Holy Spirit to make living it out possible. Our own efforts at a peaceful Easter family dinner probably won’t carry us through appetizers … but with the Holy Spirit, we can “keep the unity of the spirit” in our relationships.
We cannot control the behaviors and responses (or lack of response) of others. But we are accountable for our own behaviors, words, actions, and attitudes. You and I may do the right thing, yet others still choose to withhold peace. That’s on them. But if I’m the holdout, the peace-blocker, then it’s on me.
Is there one more thing I could do, one more action I can take, one more conversation to be had (or one more thing NOT to say) that would make a difference? Is there anything left on my “make every effort” assignment list? Am I sure … and have I checked in with God about it?
Sometimes I’ve held out because I feel it’s beneath me. It feels like groveling. Is God asking you to do or say or give something that feels beneath your dignity? Does apologizing feel like a sign of weakness?
Shame. Loss of dignity. Embarrassment. Those sure sound a lot like what our Lord experienced when they nailed Him naked to a cross, paying for crimes He didn’t commit, to atone for sins of people who didn’t believe Him.
Aren’t we grateful He was willing to be shamed and embarrassed to provide our peace with God? Paul challenges us to do an attitude check:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped… Philippians 2:6
Taking on the attitude of Jesus is choosing to do what leads to peace. It prompts us to make every effort for peace. Those outward actions and behaviors begin on the inside. Our minds have to decide first. The greatest barrier to peace is our mindset. The real war zone—where we wrestle with the Holy Spirit and daily battle with our way vs. His way—is our very own mind. He makes the way of peace clear:
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6
Shall we aim for peace this Passion Week? Shall we decide to be all in?
Shall we choose to seek peace, pursue peace, and make every effort to do what leads to peace?
Could there be any better way to honor Jesus, our Prince of Peace?
Whatever comes to mind when you think of peace, whatever temporary absence of conflict you achieve, whatever place you go to find it for a day or so, one thing is certain: true, lasting, eternal peace can only be found in the person of Jesus. In this week’s teaching video, Laura shares some biblical truth on peace. We invite you to visit our Downloads page for your own copy of our April bookmark, then spend each day this month immersing yourself in “peace” with 30 daily scripture verses. As we prepare our hearts for Easter, we pray you will allow the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, to be your source of real, lasting peace.
Each month, we offer our free, printable ‘Do It!’ List a resource that is designed to help you keep home and hearth clean and organized. A Southern Living-worthy home is not the goal; rather, we desire to be good stewards of all God has provided. A tidy home frees us to practice biblical hospitality, and be ready to throw upon the door—with peace!—when opportunities arise. “Hospitality” is one answer to WHY we ‘Do It!’
In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura shares some thoughts on biblical hospitality (and an easy, family-favorite recipe, should you be inspired to entertain a friend or neighbor this month).
Download the recipe for Laura’s Swiss Chicken here: https://bit.ly/3VPF1jm
There are never enough Sundays in the month to unpack all the righteousness verses we’ve written in our Write the WORD study. Therefore, on this final Sunday of March, let’s approach these last few days of the month by surveying some powerful scriptures and praying the WORD together today.
Because so many of the women reading this are wives, mothers, and/or grandmothers, let’s specifically frame our prayers as intercession for our precious ones.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. Psalm 36:6
Lord Almighty, I praise You for the height and depth of Your righteousness. Your power knows no limits. You are mighty to save. I pray Your righteousness — and Your love — would be known by my children and grandchildren, and that they would worship and adore You.
The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. Proverbs 11:6
Jesus, may my loved ones be declared righteous by placing their faith in You. I pray their identity in You would both call and equip them to live righteous, upright lives and that those good choices would protect them and bring them joy. Deliver my children and grandchildren from evil. May their desire to live for You and please You be greater than any desire for evil. Holy Spirit, call them to live faithfully for You!
In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality. Proverbs 12:28
God, thank you for the eternal life we have because of Your gift of grace. Jesus, thank you for Your sacrificial death that makes immortality possible for mortal humans.Holy Spirit, draw my children, and their children, and future generations of our family, to place their faith in You — to walk in the way of righteousness and find the “life that is truly life.”
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthews 5:6
O Lord, make us hungry and thirsty for You! I pray that nothing and no one besides You would bring satisfaction in my life, or the lives of my loved ones. Let every other gift pale in comparison to the greatest gift of knowing You and abiding in You. As we know You more, make us want to live more for You, in You, and through You. Make the way of righteousness be not a way of drudgery or duty, but one of delight and joy!
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
Lord, bless our family with a single-minded focus on You. I pray that advancing Your kingdom and Your righteousness would consume our hearts and minds. As we choose to daily seek and serve You, may all other blessings flow in and be kept as far-distant seconds, thirds, fourths, etc. I pray our chief aim — the overriding, consuming focus of our thoughts and desire of our hearts — would be for You.
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed— a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17
O Jesus, let them know — let me model — that righteousness is only found by faith. Forgive us for venturing off the path to counterfeit, manufactured righteousness that really isn’t righteousness at all. Allow us to reject both legalism (the “have-to” list) and liberalism (the “don’t have to” dismissal of the list). Allow my children, and our entire family, to live in that sweet spot of abiding in You. Call us to live righteous lives … not to earn Your favor, but because “by faith we have been saved by grace.” Reveal this truth. Let them see it, embrace it, and walk in it! Let the truth they have been taught in our home become the reality of their lives!
November may be synonymous with “giving thanks,” but every month — every day — is a good time to thank God. Our list of reasons to thank Him is unending, with each day bringing new blessings. In this week’s teaching video, Laura shares a suggestion (prompted by King David) for another reason to praise Him. We hope you’ll enjoy her thoughts, inspired by this month’s Write the WORD bookmark.
Have you subscribed to our newsletter? If not, we invite you to sign up today! You’ll receive an email each time a new blog post is published on our website (and we will never sell or share your information).
“My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.” Psalm 35:28
Whatever is in our hearts and on our minds will most likely make its way out to our tongues.
If we are planning a vacation, a garage sale, or a family reunion—we talk about it.If we are getting a child ready for college, preparing for vacation Bible school, or shopping for a new washing machine, those things may dominate our conversations.
When David declares, “My tongue will speak of your righteousness,” it’s a powerful ancient-world call to us in modern day … a call to join in. And it’s a declaration not just whispered in the morning during our intimate quiet time with God, but is to be declared to those in our sphere of influence — all day long.
Let’s evaluate honestly whether you and I tell our families, the women we mentor, and those in our friend group: God is righteous!
Does even the thought of doing so sound and feel a bit “awkward” (borrowing a word my millennial daughter uses to describe anything uncomfortable)?
Does it feel almost fanatical to even consider doing so?
Perhaps you and I are more comfortable telling others:
God loves you!
God is merciful!
God’s grace is unending!
All those statements are true. Absolutely.Unequivocally.
Only a loving, merciful God would endure the pain and shame of the cross to pay the debt He didn’t owe. But the reason He was an acceptable offering is His righteousness.
He is holy.
He is righteous.
He is great.
He is mighty to save.
Have you declared His righteousness lately? Have you spoken of it out loud? Have you proclaimed it to others?
In last week’s Sunday Soaking, we challenged one another to thank Him for His righteousness. This week we are going a step further, with a challenge to proclaim it out loud.
Wives, daughters, mothers, grandmothers: let it begin with us!
By declaring His righteousness (as well as His love), we share the truth about the nature of God. And that truth might make — most likely will make — some people uncomfortable.
And guess what? It should make every one of us uncomfortable, because it should call and convict us of our own unrighteousness.
Focusing on God’s love is good. It is powerful and reassuring. But the same should also be true of His righteousness. As we worship and adore Him, as we serve Him, as we learn more of Him and grow closer to Him, we will be conformed to His image.
Ask yourself these questions:
Am I more loving than five years ago, twelve months ago, or a week ago?
Am I more righteous than five years ago? Twelve months ago? A week ago?
Choosing to proclaim love sounds positive and encouraging and acceptable. Choosing to do the same with God’s righteousness seems to invite labels like holier-than-thou, fanatical, or legalistic.
It’s not that we are perfect; we know that’s impossible. But neither do we celebrate, rationalize, or whitewash our sin (or the sin of others). Sin must be confessed. We mourn it and turn from it. We ask the Holy Spirit both to convict us, and to allow us to go forward in freedom from the bondage sin brings.
At the end of the day — and, most assuredly, at the end of time — it matters not what you or I think, dear sister friend. What truly matters is what God says. Sin is sin because of God’s timeless truth … not because you and I make a list, or have a vote on what does and does not belong on that list. The Bible is our plumb line, not cultural norms, man-made laws, or the latest trend in media or our social circles.
We are living in a world where anything goes, truth is up for a vote, and absolutes are not tolerated.Of even greater concern and alarm: the lies are coming from those who profess faith in Christ, not just the unbelievers.
Ignore the noise. Tune out the voices of our culture. Pay attention to what the Bible proclaims.
We must love our family members enough to tell them the truth. We must love our neighbor enough to tell her the truth.
When each of us steps out of time and into eternity, knowing the truth is what preserves and saves us.
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)
Do you know Jesus?Do you proclaim His loveand His righteousness … all day long?
Ask your Heavenly Father for the courage and confidence to share His truth with those you encounter each day: God loves you just like you are – but He loves you too much to leave you there.
Rise up, sisters! The road ahead for us — and certainly for our babies and grandbabies — is growing more rocky with every passing day. It’s time to buckle up and put on the armor our Savior has provided. Are you wearing your belt of truth and your breastplate of righteousness? (Ephesians 6:10-20)
If we know the truth, we must proclaim the truth. How can you commit to speaking of His righteousness all day long today?
This week we wrapped up our ladies’ Bible study in I Corinthians. Paul packs a lot into chapter 16, as he encourages believers to:
Stand guard
Stand firm
Be courageous
Be strong
Give
Refresh others
We hope you are moved by these words from Laura, as we present the final teaching video in our I Corinthians study.
It’s not too late to join us for the final days of March, as we prepare our hearts for Easter by reading, writing, and studying verses about righteousness. We invite you to visit our Downloads page, where you’ll find our Write the WORD bookmark, corresponding S.O.A.P. Bible study outline, and other resources to help you love God and love His WORD!
This week’s Martha Monday video, Laura shares decorating tips and items she found in her recent trip to Dollar Tree. With Easter just around the corner, she stopped in to look for fun things to freshen up what she already has. We hope you enjoy all the spring décor — along with some everyday treasures — Laura found this time!
If you have not yet subscribed to our YouTube channel, we invite you to take a moment and sign up HERE.
“I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” Psalm 7:17
We have so many reasons to thank God.We thank Him for our families, our homes, and our many blessings. We thank Him for answered prayers.We thank Him for many facets of His character: His love, compassion, grace, and mercy.
But does it ever occur to us to thank Him for His righteousness?
As I consider my salvation, I realize that God’s righteousness—combined with His love—is what makes my destiny for eternity a reality.
I have thanked and praised Him often for His love, but His righteousness is equally important.
If He was loving but lacked righteousness, the requirements of the law would not be satisfied in Jesus; the law required a righteous sacrifice be nailed to that Cross. But if He was righteous only, not loving, He may have declined the Cross altogether.
It’s not either/or … it’s both/and!
Because Christ Jesus is both loving and righteous, we must thank Him. Our Savior is perfectly righteous – without blemish – and perfectly loving. Only Jesus satisfies both requirements.
For each of us, our natural temperament or personality may lead us to focus more on His love or on His righteousness. But, like two sides of the same coin, He is both.
Thankfully, He is both.
Please just stop for a few moments and allow that truth to settle in. Acknowledge He is both. Choose to be grateful that He is both. Thank Him for being both.
Only in Jesus, the God-Man, are the righteous requirements of the law satisfied. Only in Jesus do we have hope for eternity. Only in Jesus can we be declared righteous in God’s eyes.
Thank you, Jesus, for being righteous. Thank you, Jesus, for being loving.
Let’s proclaim with the Psalmist:
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Our latest teaching video features thoughts from Molly Duddleston from Cross Church Pinnacle Hills, on I Corinthians chapter 15, where Paul refuted false teaching that had crept into the church at Corinth. We hope you’ll listen now as Molly addresses one of the foundational truths of Christianity: the resurrection.
Have you downloaded our March Write the WORD bookmark and (optional) S.O.A.P. Bible study pages? If not, we hope you’ll jump in today and join us for the rest of the month as we read, write, and meditate on verses about righteousness. Visit our Downloads page for these and other free resources to help you balance your heart for God and His children, with the many commitments of your busy life.
“…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ— the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” Philippians 3:9
I recently searched online for houses of similar size and style. I found two 3-bedroom, 2-bath, ranch style homes – but the similarities ended there. One is located in Newport Beach, CA; the other in Bay St. Louis, MS. Their prices: $2,335,000 and $139,900, respectively. That’s $1,474 per square foot vs. $89 per square foot!
A supply list of how many 2″ x 4″ boards, windows, doors, and shingles required to duplicate each house would, most likely, be roughly the same.The value has more to do with location. One home is declared more valuable, because of where it is.
We are all fixer-uppers. We are all in need of some changing out and some updating. And it is our location at the foot of the cross that has us declared righteous. As Paul says, we have no righteousness on our own – it is all imputed to us through Christ.
You and I may not feel righteous. We may not always behave like women of God…but if our identity is in Christ, that’s exactly what we are. Our location at the foot of the cross means we are sinners, but we are declared righteous.
Our location at the cross changes everything!
We know we are unworthy, but are declared worthy because of Jesus. In Christ, we are made righteous. In Romans 3, Paul reminds us:
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
We are justified – we are declared righteous – in Christ. That’s a game changer!
When you look at yourself (or when the world looks at you), what do you see? A woman who has messed up…again? A less-than-perfect wife and mom? A woman who is less-than striving and trying to be more-than? To get it right?
When God sees you, you are viewed through the completed work of Jesus. You are loved and forgiven. You are righteous.
Because we have been declared righteous, we get to live righteous! No more striving – just resting in our identity in Him and free to live loved.
You are not who the world says you are. You are more than what you see when you look at yourself in the mirror. The world may see a sinner with a past, but God declares you to be a saint with a future! Go ahead – live like the righteous woman He declares you to be!
In this week’s teaching video, Laura addresses a topic from I Corinthians 14 that many may view as controversial: tongues. We hope you’ll watch as she lays this out – and then make some time to pray over your questions, asking to allow love to lead out as you exercise your own God-given spiritual gifts.
If you have not yet downloaded your own copy of our free Write the WORD bookmark, it’s not too late to join in as we read, write, and study verses with the word RIGHTEOUSNESS this month! Visit our Downloads page for the March bookmark, S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and other free resources.
In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura shares thoughts on the first of the daily tasks on our ‘Do It!’ List: READ AND WRITE THE WORD.
Our monthly ‘Do It!’ List is designed to help you manage home and hearth … keeping your surroundings organized and tidy, and freeing you up to fulfill the more important call on your life to love God and love on others. If you follow this list (more or less – no legalism here!), you will find your space transformed in a matter of days.
We invite you to listen in as Laura shares 7 helpful tips for establishing (and maintaining) your own daily Quiet Time:
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Ephesians 5:21
Here is yet another verse underscoring that our relationship with Jesus makes every other relationship work.
If I love Jesus, I will love the “one anothers” in my life.Because I have been forgiven by Jesus, I must forgive the “one anothers” in my life.And because I want to honor and revere Jesus, I will submit to the “one anothers” in my life.
Jesus is the inspiration, the reason, and the joyful compulsion for pushing forward to release inexplicable love, forgiveness, respect, and honor.
And, most importantly, He is also the source of the ability to get it done.
There is no fuel in my fleshly engine to love and keep on loving, to forgive and keep on forgiving, to submit and keep on submitting. The assignment is way too exhausting, painful, time-consuming, and humiliating.
I can’t do it. The “Laura” in me gives out, gives up, or (in many cases) never even gets started.
With some “one anothers” in my life, I just don’t want to.
With others, I’ve tried and given up.
A horizontal view prompts a zillion reasons (…excuses?) why I cannot and should not. I can easily justify giving myself a pass. Perhaps I even congratulate myself for simply considering the release of love, forgiveness, and honor to a particular person.
But then there’s the vertical perspective. I look up. Focusing my heart and mind on Jesus brings contrition. He loves me in spite of. He forgives me even if. He honors me no matter.
He knows everything – all the stuff I’ve thought, said, and done. Even the ugly buried deep, He knows. And He loves, forgives, and honors me anyway.
I am wholly undeserving, and He gives anyway.
If I hold tenaciously to anger, resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness – and refuse to release love, honor, forgiveness, and compassion – perhaps it says more about my relationship with Jesus than my fractured relationship with my “one another.”
Do I trust He is big enough to protect me?
Do I trust He will see and provide?
Do I believe He is able to help me do what I could never do on my own?
Do I believe Him?
Is the object of my faith bigger than my what-ifs?
Clearly, this girl has some praying and pondering to do! How about you?
Our Write the WORD bookmark for March is now available, and in this week’s teaching video, Laura takes a few moments to introduce our next topic. To prepare our hearts for Easter, we’ve chosen the word RIGHTEOUSNESS. We invite you to listen as Laura unpacks truth about righteousness — before the cross and after — and encourage you to download your own copy of our March bookmark as we get ready to read, write, and study what scripture says about righteousness in the coming month.
