The Christian faith is simple and complicated at the same time. We are called to have faith like a child (Matthew 18:3), and also to grow toward maturity (Hebrews 6:1). In some places the Word of God seems so straightforward, and yet the psalmist declared some knowledge too wonderful and lofty to grasp (Psalm 139:6). The seeming contradiction between this simplicity and complexity speaks to the mystery of the gospel. But when it comes to our salvation, Jesus doesn’t want there to be any confusion.

It’s funny—and oddly reassuring—just how human the disciples were. By the time we come to John 14, they were well into their ministry alongside the Son of God. You would think after all the miracles and face-to-face teachings from Jesus, they would have learned the basics. But when Jesus talked about the way to heaven, the disciples seemed totally and utterly confused! So once again, He spoke clearly.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
—John 14:6–7

Jesus spelled it out for His disciples—and for us too—so that there can be no misunderstanding. He is the way to freedom. He is truth and life.

There are parts of our faith that are truly complex because we love and serve an infinite God. Some questions don’t have simple answers. The gospel is like an intricately woven tapestry, with threads intertwining in hidden places, forming the most epic story of all time. God gives us minds to think and question and analyze these mysteries with humility so that we might grow in our understanding and love.

But some parts of the Word are crystal clear.

Jesus came to our world in the form of a man so that His followers could see, know, and touch the love of their Father. In a world full of confusion, God wants His people to know exactly who He is.

If you know Jesus, you know the Creator of all and the way to salvation. As you “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), may you find peace in the straightforward declarations and promises of our Lord.

It’s hard to keep building when you know someone is ready to knock down your progress. While wooden blocks are no big deal, I also know the challenge of taking risks and pouring effort into a project when you feel opposition all around you. We see this truth in our lives and in Scripture, progress rarely coming without a fight. 

In Nehemiah 4, the Israelites were working hard to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They were stepping into the back-breaking work God had called them to, and immediately they faced ridicule. They were called weak, feeble, and even foolish. Their lives were at risk as they built with one hand and carried a weapon of defense in the other. 

Can we relate? We may not be rebuilding an ancient wall, but we are building the kingdom of God in our homes, relationships, ministries, businesses, and more. As we step out in faith, we may face criticism from others, hostile circumstances, or destructive lies that try to knock us down.

However, Nehemiah didn’t let mockery and threats derail the mission. Instead, he directed the people to remember God’s great power. This wasn’t toxic positivity, it was a call for courageous dependence. Nehemiah reminded the people that the outcome doesn’t depend on their skill but on the “great and awe-inspiring Lord” (Nehemiah 4:14).

He also encouraged the people to remember who they were fighting for: their families and communities. As Christ followers, we shouldn’t join in God’s work for our own glory but because we are motivated by love of God and His people. When the going gets tough, remembering who we’re building with and who we’re building for can renew our strength.

If we are committed to any meaningful call from God, we should actually expect problems to arise. As the apostle Peter made clear, “Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1Peter 5:8). Whether we realize it or not, when we do the Lord’s work we take sides in a spiritual battle. The enemy wants to destroy our hope and distract us from God’s call, but Nehemiah and Peter both urged us to resist and stand firm in faith. Progress in the face of opposition isn’t about striving; it’s about relying on God’s strength. 

Problems don’t necessarily mean we’re doing something wrong; they might mean we’re doing something right that the enemy wants to squash.

We may be mocked. We may feel outnumbered. But we do not build alone. The great and awe-inspiring Lord has our backs. What God started He will finish victoriously, and we are blessed to join Him in His restoring work. 

When Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus was so eager to see Him that he ran ahead and climbed a tree for a better view. As Jesus approached, something incredible happened: He called Zacchaeus by name. Can you imagine the shock Zacchaeus must have felt when this renowned figure not only noticed him but also called on his name personally? Jesus didn’t shout “Hey, guy in the tree!” or use any of the negative labels others had stuck on Zacchaeus, like “tax collector” or “wee little man.” He called him by his given name, which happened to mean “pure” in Hebrew, a meaning far removed from Zacchaeus’s past conduct but one he would prove to live up to. 

This personal approach is not unique to Zacchaeus’s story. Throughout Scripture, we see how important names are to God. For example, God called to Adam in the Garden (Genesis 3:9), Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:4), and many others such as Abraham, Martha, and even us. Jesus said that He “calls His own sheep by name,” emphasizing that God’s call is deeply personal (John 10:3).

When Jesus calls us, it is never impersonal and he doesn’t use the negative labels we may have picked up. He calls us by our truest identity as His beloved. He wants to enter our life, our house, our heart. He knows our struggles and is reaching out to us personally, offering His love and grace.

God’s call is not only personal but also urgent. Just as Jesus told Zacchaeus to “hurry” and host Him “today,” He calls us to turn to Him now—not when our lives are perfectly in order or when we have enough proof to believe. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, but the invitation to come to Him is available now.

There are two responses to God’s call, as seen in Scripture. Will we be like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus but walked away sad because he couldn’t commit to Him (Mark 10:17–22)? Or like Zacchaeus, will we choose to respond joyfully and welcome Jesus into our innermost self?

Zacchaeus didn’t just invite Jesus into his home—he was genuinely transformed from the inside out. He repented and paid a significant price to right his wrongs. True repentance involves turning away from sin and turning back to God. While repentance may seem costly, the reward is far greater: a joyful life with Christ now and forever.

Whether we’ve already welcomed Jesus into our lives or not, let’s take a moment to listen to His personal call. Hear God saying your name. He knows you, sees you, and loves you no matter what you’ve done or what others say. Only when we invite Jesus in and repent of our sins can we experience the true joy He offers.

If I could relive one year of my life, it would most certainly NOT be seventh grade! The social climbing, the raging hormones, the newfound insecurity—I could do without all of that. Of course, I could not have been more thrilled when summer finally arrived that year and I was free of those junior-high hallways for three glorious months. 

Hopefully you have fonder memories of middle school than I do. Regardless, I’m sure we’ve all faced times in life where we felt stuck and wanted a reprieve. When we’re in the midst of a trial, it can feel like it will never end. For middle school me, the hope of summer was an escape route from all I wanted to get away from. But when God’s people were stuck under oppression, He had a much grander eternal freedom in store for them. 

God’s chosen people frequently found themselves in times of trial throughout the Old Testament. Sometimes it was because of their disobedience to God that they had to face the consequences. Such was the case when Israel went astray and found themselves oppressed by Babylon.

At that time in history, Babylon was the pinnacle of human ingenuity. It was similar to how we might view New York City today—the most powerful city in the world, the hub of secular culture and influence. The ideas that Babylon could be overthrown and the Jewish people freed, would have seemed impossible. Yet God promised through His prophet Isaiah to deliver His people. Not because they deserved it, but because He loved His people and had compassion for them time and again. 

And sure enough, the Lord had a plan to overthrow the most powerful city at the time and free Israel. Numerous books of the Old Testament tell how He called His people out of slavery and back under His good and just rule. 

Because the Lord’s promises have been proven true, we can trust that He will always make good on His word. God has also given us a promise of deliverance. He said that if we believe in Him, we will have eternal life. Just as He showered compassion on Israel, He generously wipes away all our sins when we repent and follow Him. Not because we earned it, but because He loves us.

The good news is that we can be freed of the oppression of this world in our hearts today. But that’s not all—God also promised that one day He will come again to make everything new. Not just our hearts, but the systems of the world will finally be good and just, exactly as the Creator always intended. If we trust in the promise keeper, we will finally experience the peace we all long for in eternity. Let’s put our trust in the only One with the power to set us free.

Written by Kaitie Stoddard

Earlier today my phone lit up with a text message from a strange number. Curious, I glanced at the screen only to clock it as spam. I knew immediately from the promises of a free vacation that it was too good to be true. I quickly deleted the message, being careful not to click the suspicious link at the bottom.

I’m sure we’ve all received these messages. Whether in texts, commercials, or social media posts, we are inundated with guarantees of quick fixes and easy wins. Naturally, we’ve grown a little skeptical of anything that sounds miraculous.

And yet God promised the miraculous to Abram. When Abram was the ripe old age of 99 years old, God told him that he and Sarai would still give birth to a biological son. Not only would they have a son, but God was creating a covenant with Abram in which his family would become a great nation and all the world would be blessed through them. Of course, Abram had heard this before, almost 25 years prior in fact. After waiting so long for God to make good on His Word, and being far past child bearing years, Abram had some questions for God. 

I find it encouraging that even though Abram questioned how God would accomplish His plan, he was still credited with having righteous faith. It seems that belief and questions can coexist (what a relief!). However, Abram’s choosing to believe God’s Word and promise is a crucial aspect of God entering into a covenant with him. We know that God did keep His Word, although it took a lot longer than Abram would have expected. 

Just like Abram, we are called to put our trust in God despite any narratives to the contrary. As we bring our questions to Him, we can also walk with the belief that Jesus alone is the way to eternal life. Even when we feel like God is taking too long, we can have faith that Jesus will come back and make everything new in His perfect timing. 

If our questions and fears ever start to overshadow the truth of the gospel, we can accept the same invitation God gave Abram. Go outside and look at the stars tonight. While you’re looking at the stars, remember that God once promised a childless 99-year-old man that he would have more descendants than all the tiny lights you can count. That man believed the seemingly impossible, trusting in God’s Word. And God used that man’s faith to create a lineage that would birth the Savior of the entire world. We, too, can choose to trust in God’s plan today because God always fulfills His promises.

Written by Kaitie Stoddard

Whether we respond with ownership or defensiveness is a matter of the heart—of course, all of this is presuming the confrontation takes place in a godly manner. I’m not talking about unhealthy conflict or persecution that is neither godly nor loving. But when our flaws are confronted or even rebuked in love, as Paul did with the Corinthians, how we respond shows what we believe about the gospel. Are we going to allow the Spirit to convict our hearts, or are we going to cover our ears and point the blame elsewhere?

While it’s scary to admit we don’t have it all together, when we do acknowledge our sin we can turn toward Jesus in repentance and know we are forgiven. When our sin saddens us, we experience “godly grief,” which “produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death” (2Corinthian 7:10).

This is a heart pain we will never regret. If we’re not torn up by our brokenness, we won’t understand how badly we need to be saved from ourselves. As Jesus said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).

If we’re honest, it’s exhausting, trying to manage our sin and remain pure in our own strength. Thankfully, it’s okay to admit we’re a mess! If we didn’t have a forgiving God, that would be a different story. But Scripture tells us that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). Because Jesus’s sacrificial blood covers us so completely, the Father will never again look on us with anything but steadfast, unwavering love. We can take responsibility for our wrongdoing because our God is outlandishly gracious. Of course, we shouldn’t abuse the Lord’s grace by purposely sinning (Romans 6:1–4). But when we do fail, we can remember the story of the prodigal son returning home and his forgiving father running toward him, arms opened wide to welcome him (Luke 15:20).

In the same way, our Father in heaven runs to embrace His returning children. Our sins are already forgiven in the finished work of Jesus. When we turn to God in repentance, we are returning our gaze back to the One who longs to be gracious to us and show us compassion, over and over again (Isaiah 30:18).

You see it’s a natural part of life, this cause and effect. There are always consequences to our actions. Some are positive, and some are negative, and as the Bible puts it “For whatever a person sows he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). When I eat something greasy, I know it will likely hurt my belly. When I go to bed early, I know I will likely wake up well rested. And when the Israelites spoke out against God, they found themselves surrounded by venomous snakes. 

Even though the Israelites realized the error of their ways, God didn’t take away the snakes as they asked. However, God did provide a path to healing—antacids if you will. The Israelites still had to deal with the consequences of their sins, but God was merciful to them in the midst of their struggle. 

Oftentimes we want to make poor choices and then pray we don’t have to deal with the fall out. I admit that more than once I’ve ignored the time when getting ready and then prayed for all green lights so I wasn’t late. Of course, there have been more serious actions, sins I’ve committed, ignoring the repercussions that would surely follow. Just as the snakes bit and killed many Israelites because of their sinfulness, we know that our sin deserves death too (Romans 6:23). Can you think of a time recently where you’ve chosen the wrong things and then had to pay the price?

The good news is that while God doesn’t always erase the consequences of our actions, He is happy to heal His people. God did this for the Israelites by providing healing through a golden snake on a pole. All they had to do was look at it. It was that easy.

Our Father is merciful to us too. All we have to do to be healed from all our sins that lead to death is to lift our eyes to the risen Christ (John 3:14). While we still live in a broken world full of darkness, we know that God promises an eternal world full of light. We may not see the perfect healing of our mind, body, and soul here and now, but one day we will experience a place free from tears and pain (Revelation 21:4). 

So let’s raise our eyes to heaven. Our merciful God has paid the price of sin and death for us because of His inexhaustible love. All He asks is that we “repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15). Healing and eternal life are available to all of us today if we will simply fix our eyes on our Savior, Jesus.

My battle with the vegetation each year is a consistent reminder that we are not living in the garden of Eden. Images of the Pacific Northwest, with their misty lakes and dense forests, may seem a little closer to that lush paradise on earth. But in our present state, when we dig beneath the surface, no place, person, or thing is truly perfect or whole anymore.

I’m guessing most of us feel far from Eden. Whether it’s problems in our personal lives, the health of a family member, or devastation abroad, there is no shortage of brokenness here and now. But when we look back to the very beginning of creation, we learn that this suffering is not what God desired for His masterpiece.

We all know the story. When God made the earth, He “planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed” (Genesis 2:8). But we often miss the best part of the garden! It’s not the fertile ground or the naming of the animals but the fact that God Himself walked among His people, in communion with them. God’s original intention was for men and women to live and serve in His presence.

When Adam and Eve chose to sin by disobeying God, choosing their own way over His, the greatest consequence wasn’t pain in childbirth or a lackluster harvest but separation from God’s presence. And that separation was banishment from Eden, death to the soul, and ultimately death to the body. When God first created the world there was no mention of death or destruction. It was only after humanity chose the way of sin that brokenness entered the scene.

God could have left it at that. Handing Adam, Eve, and every generation to follow, over to the downfall of our own decisions. But that is not who God is. God is merciful. God is love. And so God sent His own perfect Son to be the man Adam could not. To live a righteous life, never choosing sin like we do. To be the spotless Lamb, sacrificed to atone for our damage. It was the greatest act of undeserved forgiveness: 

God’s giving Himself over to death to save the ones who’d betrayed Him.

God paid the price for our sin because He longs for complete connection with us once again, to walk in the garden with His creation. I cannot begin to fathom how deep His love is for us. But what I do know is that because of Jesus’s sacrifice we are welcomed back into the presence of God. Even in a land east of Eden, we can live and serve with God through His Holy Spirit. And for all who trust in Him, we will walk with our God in paradise again.

Do you also know what it’s like to receive a gift with strings attached? Maybe you “won” a free night at the hotel in exchange for a timeshare meeting or your friend loaned you their car with an unspoken debt to pay. It’s not so fun to receive a gift and find out later it wasn’t really free.  

The gift of salvation can only be received freely like a child. Life “in abundance” is free to us because our generous God paid the price with His own Son (John 10:10). We couldn’t pay the fair value for such a precious present, even if we tried.

When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples for the first time, He warned them about the quid-pro-quo economy of the world (Matthew 10:8–14). Jesus was well aware that when you start healing people, driving out demons, or raising people from the dead, there will be loved ones willing and eager to compensate you.

But Jesus does not want people to believe they can buy God’s love or favor. The Lord doesn’t want you to confuse the gospel with a bait-and-switch timeshare meeting. Christ warned the disciples against the temptation to take those payments. He reminded them that they had received spiritual gifts without paying for them, so they should not charge others. “Freely you received, freely give,” He instructed them (v.8).

We might not expect our neighbor or coworker to pay us money for our encouragement or service, but do we secretly expect them to pay us back with social favors or reciprocated acts? Are there spiritual gifts the Lord has given you that He wants you to spill out onto others lavishly? If you’ve been given the spiritual gift of encouragement, encourage others in the faith freely. If God has given you the spiritual gift of service, serve with a heart of generosity (Romans 12:6–8).

Everything we have has been given to us. When we remember that our salvation, financial resources, and spiritual gifts are purely by the grace of God, we become stewards instead of hoarders. As followers of Christ sent into the world, we are given the same instructions as the twelve disciples. Give away the most valuable gift of God’s love at no charge because that is how we all received it—freely. 

If I’m honest, I can sometimes act like a stubborn toddler—too proud to admit I can’t do it in my own power. In the blink of an eye, I can whip up a seven-point plan to fix any problem in my life and leave my heavenly Father completely out of the equation. Can you relate? Just by watching a toddler, we can see humanity’s tendency toward pride. It’s the sin that every man and woman battles since the beginning when Adam and Eve ignored God’s best and chose to reach for the fruit and operate in their own strength. Maybe you have your sights set on getting a new job, conquering a health goal, or improving a relationship. Hopefully you’re bringing all your desires before the Lord, asking for His will and His help. But if you struggle in this area, you are certainly not alone. 

In our reading today, we see how Jesus restored to life a young ruler’s daughter, healed a woman with a bleeding issue, and healed two blind men. While the healings are certainly miraculous, what I find most interesting are the interactions Jesus had leading up to His works. We see in these instances the condition of each person’s heart even before we see Jesus responding. We see they had humility—people admitting they needed Jesus’s help. We see they had faith—people who believed Jesus had the power to heal them. Just as the psalmist wrote, “The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God” (Psalm 51:17).

God loves when we come to Him in humility, asking for His help. Sometimes we can get it all mixed up, believing we need to be perfect before we approach God—thinking that a good Christian has it all together. That could not be further from the truth! When my toddler finally turns to me, saying “mama help please” and shoving the box of blocks in my lap, my heart explodes with joy. I feel needed, trusted, and loved.

God wants the same kind of relationship with us, but He will never force His love on us. Instead, He waits patiently for us to realize again and again that we cannot live a fulfilled and healed life without Him. But the moment we are ready to turn to our heavenly Father, He welcomes us home with open arms. 

Let’s embrace our identity as daughters of the one true healer. We can never save ourselves, but if we put our faith in Jesus, He cannot wait to rescue us.