Do you ever find yourself wincing at your frequent failures in your walk with God? Are mountaintop victories sometimes followed by valleys of our own making? No life of faith is a straight climb toward perfection, but rather a winding journey of wandering and returning. But here’s the good news: God’s grace meets you every time you stumble, His Word continually calls you back, and His promises invite you to start anew. He knows that you long to be faithful, even when you falter. Take heart in that truth and remember that the only time you fail is when you refuse to get back up!
The Danger of Dead Religion
Jesus enters Jerusalem a few days before His crucifixion and examines the spiritual condition of the people. What He finds is a nation bustling with outward displays of religious activity, but beneath the surface, there is nothing but dead religion. He curses a fruitless fig tree as a sign of judgement against them, and then He throws the corrupt money changers out of the Temple for defiling His Father’s house. If Jesus were to examine our lives today, would He see a cold, dead heart beneath the outward religious appearance, or would He find fruit growing for His glory?
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