This is part 4 of our series on What to Do When the Church Lets You Down. You can see all the posts in the series here.

When the church lets you down, or when another person sins against you, the human reaction is to lash out in response. The temptation to respond sinfully is great, and therefore, we must be diligent to guard against sinful communication when the church lets us down.

3 Sins We are Susceptible to When the Church Lets Us Down

1. Minimizing sinful talk.

The Bible is clear on how we are to communicate with one another, especially during conflict.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ~Ephesians 4:29

We cannot allow any corrupting talk to come out of our mouths. This verse (nor any other verse in the Bible on this topic) gives a qualifier on the end for when it’s okay to allow corrupting talk to leave our mouths.

Minimizing sinful talk can be done in various ways, but the following statements give a few examples:

• “Well I’m not saying anything that isn’t true!”
• “Sometimes the truth hurts…”
• “I’m actually loving this person by sharing their sins with others.”
• “I’m doing others a favor by telling them what awful thing that church did to us.”

2. Justifying gossip and slander.

I like to know what a word means when I’m studying the word of God. It’s easy for me to assume I know the definition, but in some cases it’s good to take a second look.

So let’s define gossip and slander.

Gossip: idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others {source}

Slander: a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report {source}

The key difference between gossip and slander is that gossip can be a sharing of facts while slander is specifically filled with false information meant to tear down and defame. Regardless of whether you’re merely sharing the facts of the story or intentionally seeking to defame another, both are forms of sinful communication. We must be diligent when the church lets us down to not engage in idle talk or malicious communication in the private affairs of the church or church members.

In Romans chapter one, Paul names off a long list of unrighteous behaviors – among those sins listed you will find both gossip and slander (ref. Romans 1:28-32). He wraps up the list with the following statement:

Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. ~Romans 1:32

We must be diligent to avoid justifying gossip or slander of any kind because God takes it very seriously.

3. Refusing to acknowledge personal contribution to the problem.

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. ~Matthew 7:1-5

I know you have heard this scripture, and heard it often as it has become quite cliche in our culture. Let’s lay aside the cliche and seek the truth of this scripture.

Jesus’ purpose in this instruction is not to tell us to refrain from calling one another into account, but instead to teach us to do so with the awareness of how much we too have been forgiven: “for the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the  measure you use it will be measured to you.”

We are to first evaluate ourselves – our involvement and contribution to the conflict. Then once we have done so we can see more clearly the sin in our brother’s life and can seek to help him to see his sin with a heart of humility and love. Because we first evaluated our own contributions and sins against God and man,  we come as an equal, one forgiven much, seeking to love and care for a brother or sister caught in sin, not as a judge and jury filled with bitterness, wrath, and condemnation.

We must guard against refusing to acknowledge our own contributions to the problem when the church lets us down.

I know what it’s like to feel the sting of a church who has let you down. I know what’s it like to sit at home on Sunday wondering what you did wrong or how it got to this point. I know what it’s like to fight for faith among the pain. But I also know what it’s like to experience grace and peace from God that surpasses all understanding when I choose to take God at His word and turn from sinful communication.

When the church lets us down, we do not want to harm a church’s collective witness to Christ. <–Tweet That!

There is a time and a place for biblical conflict resolution, and we must guard against sinful communication during the process and journey, especially via the Internet. Our words can be damaging to not only those in the church body, but those outside the church body as well. As believers in a merciful, loving God, who has commanded us to love one another, sinful communication does not fulfill this command.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. ~John 13:35

Taking sinful communication seriously because God takes it seriously is an important step in the process of learning what to do when the church lets us down. If you’ve been burned by the church and in turn resorted to one of the above sins in response, know this:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ~Romans 8:1

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:9

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. ~Psalm 103:10-12

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. ~Isaiah 26:3

 What do you think of this call to avoid sinful communication when the church lets you down? Tell us in the comments!

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post When the Church Lets You Down Remember to Guard Against Sinful Communication appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I knew I wanted to cloth diaper. However, I had no idea how to go about doing it, and I spent hours upon hours researching. Who knows how many days of my life went to finding out the best way to diaper my unborn child in the most frugal way possible.

I wish Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert had been written in 2010. It would have saved me so much time and energy! Heck, it saves me time and energy now and I’ve been cloth diapering for two years. I even have stories to tell about cloth diapers.

My two year old is now potty trained (cue the Hallalujah! chorus) and now we’re gearing up for newbornville again. Have you ever noticed between babies you seem to forget everything you previously thought you knew? Like how many onesies you need? What kind of baby wash to buy? Feminine care for after delivery? How to deliver?

Just me? Okay.

Well I feel like I’ve forgotten everything when it comes to newborns, breastfeeding, and diapers. Really. I had a total freakout two weeks ago because I have no idea what I need to make sure I have when this second baby is born. So I cleaned the garage. It felt like the right thing to do at the time.

Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert can’t help me with what I need to have on hand or breastfeeding, but it is my go to resource for what I need to do to prepare for my newborn and cloth diapers.

I Love Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert for a number of reasons:

1. It is as its name suggests – a simple, comprehensive guide to using cloth diapers.
2. This 200+ page eBook is broken up into easy to read sections covering every topic imaginable on cloth diapering.
3. It is peppered with real life mama quotes – these quotes give even more credibility to the book as it brings in the opinions of not just the author but others who use cloth diapers as well.
4. There is an easy to use Table of Contents allowing you to jump to the sections you need most without scrolling or searching. You can read the book in its entirety from cover to cover, or you can just choose the sections you need.
5. In the back of the book is a glossary of cloth diaper terms – this was the hardest part for me as I researched. I didn’t know what half the sites were talking about. Did you know cloth diapering has its own language? It does. You need to find a glossary!

Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert is an incredible resource for anyone looking to cloth diaper or anyone who is already cloth diapering. This eBook will save you countless hours of research! Like I said, I wish this ebook was available when I first started researching cloth diapers. And I’m so glad to have this information at my fingertips now as  I prepare for baby number two.

Would you like to own a copy of Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert?

Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert sells for $9.95 – less than a box of diapers in  most cases!

Intentional By Grace readers can get 20% off their purchase with the code “intentionalbycloth” at checkout (without the quotations).

We also have one copy of Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert available to giveaway to one sweet reader!

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway. {If you’re reading from RSS or email, you’ll need to click over to the site to enter for your chance to win.}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert {Review & Giveaway} appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

Well, the time is here where all of my planning to plan is in the past. I must actually really plan what I will have in place for my little man’s arrival in what appears to be just over 4 weeks.

I had planned on filling my freezer with meals, having all clothes sorted and cleaned (for baby), and I wanted to organize every single square inch of my house so it was orderly when we added a new little member to our family. Things won’t get easier and more relaxed once he is here, so I want to make my life easier, if possible, by front loading.

Here is the problem. I am 35 weeks pregnant. With that comes exhaustion, a gigantic huge belly, the inability to breathe well, the inability to walk up stairs without feeling like you have run a marathon, or to be too long on my feet without wanting to, well, cry?

My pregnancy is happy and healthy, but I am still pregnant! This means my body can’t work like a work horse now just to make my life easier later. How do I prioritize so I can have an easier time once little boy arrives? I decide what is most important and also what is easiest to accomplish while pregnant. Then (and only then) I can add to my list if I have extra time and energy!

I must consider also that he could arrive early. I gave birth to my second daughter 2 weeks early and it could of course happen again. So I have decided to give myself a 3 week plan of attack. Then I can spend the last week or two (or none?) more relaxed and just working on finishing touches!

What is most important to me in my final weeks before delivery?

1. His newborn/0-3 clothes must be cleaned and folded so any grownup is able to easily access them and use them right away.
2. His pack n’ play and co-sleeper need to be out, dusted off, and ready to use. Including sheets and fresh blankets.
3. Car seat washed and assembled (it is downstairs in our construction zone!) and then the base installed (that is my husband’s job!)
4. Nursing supplies out: breast pump, lanolin, nursing pads. So if I have a rough recovery, others can get this stuff for me easily.
5. Hospital bag packed (Don’t worry, I will have a whole post about this).

What is easiest to accomplish in my final weeks before delivery?

Item #1 is easy. I mean, it isn’t hard to do laundry. I will wash the car seat padding (#3) at the same time to make one regular sized load. I am going to task my dear Anthony with #2 and #3 (after I have put the car seat back together!). Items for #4 will likely end up in my hospital bag and then #5 well, that is fun for me. So that is easy.

Wow, when I look at it, I really don’t have too hard of a time ahead of me! I would like to get some other things done. But what I listed above is what is most important. The rest is bonus and will just make me look like an uber-planner (cough).

Other tasks to accomplish in my final weeks before delivery:

1. Bulk freezer cooking. On crock pot days, I can cook my future meals. I will share about this in an upcoming post too!
2. Packing my kids overnight bags. They are going to spend a few nights at their Nonnie and Poppy’s house while we are at the hospital. They have enough clothes that I can go ahead and pack them each a little bag. I can put each of these by my hospital bag and we can just grab them all on the way out the door.
3. Special allergy meals for Karli. I am blessed to attend a church where they will provide us with meals after we have the baby. This is so awesome! Karli however cannot have dairy or eggs. I would like to make several (at least 10!) individual meals for her so healing mama or less-work-in-the-kitchen-is-better daddy can just defrost and heat up with the meal that was provided for us. All of the meals I prepare (#1) will be allergen free so we don’t have to tap into our resource of Karli meals unless we are eating a meal that was given to us. The only reason this isn’t on my top list is because I can throw together meals for her last minute. We’re used to it. This step would just make our lives much easier!
4. Finish organizing and cleaning out “hot zones” in our house. This is just part of nesting. I have been working through my house and throwing away/packing up for Goodwill all of the things that just need to go. This is NOT mandatory and I won’t be doing this if I am too tired, but if I have any extra energy, I would like to simplify before adding more (aka, a new baby).
5. Take naps! I know you can’t store up sleep, but I will be trying to nap or get my feet up more to make sure my body isn’t exhausted, if possible! Taking care of myself, eating well, and resting is a must – even with an ever-growing to-do list!

What is on your list to accomplish before your little one arrives??

This current post is my game plan. Coming soon, I will share with you:

What I am bulk freezer cooking (and preparing in the kitchen),
Freezer-friendly allergy meals for my little girl,
and Packing my hospital bag!

Make sure to come back to see all I have going on in the next few weeks!

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post My Final Weeks Before Delivery {Nikki’s Game Plan} appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

This post is part of the series, What to Do When the Church Lets You Down. You can see all the posts here. 

The church is a profound mystery. Because of this mystery, the Bible uses images and illustrations to help us gain a fuller understanding of God’s true heart for the church. When the church lets you down, it is important to go back to God’s heart for the church in order to guard against bitterness, defeat, or even the temptation to walk away from the faith altogether.

God’s Heart for the Church through 4 Illustrations

1. The Building of Christ

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. -Matthew 16:18

The people of God do not build a church. The building of Christ is built by Christ alone. This means when what we see appears to be corrupt, inept, unstable, or just plain wrong we can remain in constant hope that it is not man who builds the church – it is Christ. Christ being fully God means that He cannot tell a lie; therefore, what God says, He will do.

2. The Body of Christ

It is easy for me to sit in the pew on Sunday morning and look to the front row, zeroing in on the Senior Pastor and think, he is the head of this church. True he leads the church, has final say, and is the representation of Christ to the church, but he himself is not the head of the body of Christ. That crown alone belongs to Jesus Christ, for Christ alone paid for the church with His life.

Additionally, those who Christ calls into His family will serve a certain purpose for His kingdom. We are each given certain gifts to be used for the body of Christ. But none of us have a single ability to do anything good of our own accord.

3. The Bride of Christ

Christ laid down His life to save and sanctify His people. Christ’ example of self-sacrificial love is what the husband is exhorted to emulate in a marriage. The passionate devotion of the church to Christ is the example for the wife to emulate in holy matrimony. Each of these roles distinct, yet important to the overall illustration of Christ and His church. This ebb and flow of love, sacrifice and devotion should motivate the people of God as we look forward to the day of the Lord.

4. The Family of God

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. -Acts 20:28

God loves His children. He loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for us. When we are adopted into God’s family, we gain familial bonds with the brotherhood and sisterhood that surpasses even our earthly family bonds. The family of God is of great importance – an importance illustrated by the death of Christ on a Cross.

When the church lets us down, remembering God’s heart for the church will spur us on as we heal.

• Instructing us to lay aside the pain, the hurt, and the distrust
• Protecting us from bitterness
• Leading us into the truth of God’s word
• Enabling us to continue to love what God loves

The church, in all its imperfections, remains the primary conduit of God’s grace here on earth, and for this reason, meaningful church involvement is not an option. It is a necessity and spiritual discipline that should not be neglected.

If you’re walking through the pain of when the church lets you down, you’ve no doubt been reminded to not forsake the brethren. I’ve heard it a time or two, and this is Biblical advice that should not be shunned. As you can see above, the church is a makeup of sinners redeemed by Christ because God loves His people. We should fight for what Christ lived and died for!

But sometimes the will to fight goes away, other times there isn’t a church practicing the word of God, and still others when you don’t know where to pick up the pieces and start again. We’ll talk more about when the church lets you down in the coming weeks, but for today, remember God’s heart for the church. Don’t give up. Keep fighting and run from bitterness like the plague. Christ gave His life for the church – the primary conduit of grace here on earth.

Do you find it hard to believe that God loves his church in all its mess and imperfections?

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Remember God’s Heart for the Church appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

I see the moms posting pictures of perfect Friday nights on the porch with their hubbies. I see the moms posting pictures of girls night out. I see the moms posting pictures of sweet babies asleep in their beds. I see them and think, that’s not me.

I’m the mom at home exhausted on a Friday night, standing by the stairs training a two year old to stay in bed. I’m the mom still struggling to find girl friends to go out with on a Friday night. I’m the mom without a babysitter for date nights. I’m the mom whose season has left her standing on the cliff of weariness and clawing for hope.

My circumstaces are far from my idea of perfect most days.

I work hard.

I dream big.

I grow weary.

Can you relate? I bet you can.

In any and all situations, our source must always be the living water, the fountainhead of grace. <–Tweet That!

Charles Spurgeon once said:

If a continuous stream of oil comes not to the lamp, though it burn brightly today, it will smoke to-morrow, and noxious will be its scent.

Noxious will be the scent of my life if I cannot find the grace meant for today. Smokes of ashes will be my life if I do not kneel and seek the face of Christ today.

My gaze must turn toward Heaven instead of my earthly comfort and ease. Isn’t that the root of this battle?

I want to relax with my husband, laugh with my friends, and sleep without elbows in my chest.

My focus is skewed and selfish.

I don’t want to do the hard work of nurturing my children, carving out time for my marriage, or laying my heart on the line for one more friend. I want Heaven now when Christ has asked that we wait. He has asked me to wait for THAT day when we will be free from the burdens of this world.

Behold, I am making all things new. -Revelation 21:5

Not now. Not yet. There is still work left to do.

On, Mama, with your eyes on Christ, not your circumstances. On, Mama, with your heart saturated in the truth of the Word, not the lies of your heart. On, Mama, by grace that comes from the living source of water, our God.

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! -Psalm 113:9 

What burdens are you carrying today, Mama?

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Our Source Must Always Be the Living Water appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

We love pancakes in our family. My toddler especially loves them and he loves to help make them. Since we enjoy kids in the kitchen, we’ve made Saturdays a pancake making tradition.

Today I’m over at the Grain Mill Wagon blog posting about our very favorite homemade pancake recipe.

I received a Wondermill to try out in exchange for completing the Grain Mill Wagon challenge, and I have to say I’m totally loving it. I’m humbled and excited at the chance to experiement and share my successes over at Grain Mill Wagon blog. So stay tuned because the next several Fridays will be all about easy recipes using a grain mill like the Wondermill.

Here’s an easy berry sauce recipe you can use to go along with your homemade pancakes.

Note: If you do not have a grain mill, you can use any flour you wish. We enjoyed King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat before receiving our grain mill. 

Do you have a Saturday morning tradition? Share in the comments!

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Easy Homemade Pancakes {Grain Mill Wagon} appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

Do you have something you think the readers of Intentional By Grace would enjoy? We want to hear from you!

In the coming weeks, we are going to begin preparing for a new baby to join our family. Yes, our family. The Butterfly Ministries, LLC family. We’re one now.  Nikki is rounding third base of her pregnancy, and that means she’s going to take a leave of absence very soon. (Hold me while I try not to freak out a little bit.)

While she’s gone, we don’t want you to miss out on awesome content! So we want you to help us! Consider writing a guest post for Intentional By Grace. 

What We are Looking For:

• Devotional encouragement and inspiration
• Practical help for wives and mothers
• Easy, real food recipes, especially 20 minute meals
• Homemaking tips and encouragement
• Stewardship of health
• Intentional living
• Money management, frugal living
• Your testimony and other personal stories of God’s faithfulness

What We Need From You:

• The content must be original, which means it cannot be posted anywhere else.
• We recommend sending a query before writing your entire post so we can be sure we are on the same page.
• Try to write your posts so they are long enough to engage, but short enough to not lose someone’s attention. 500-700 words per post is a good number. If it is much longer, consider breaking it up for a series.
• Please include a pinnable picture. This is crucial! Please use your own photos/graphics and watermark them with IntentionalByGrace.com. If you don’t have your own photos and need to use a stock photo, please be sure to send the required information for the photo. If you don’t know what we mean, please ask!  Please size your pictures to no wider than 500px. (Note: We have the right to change out images/graphics to better fit our style and needs.)
• We encourage you to use short paragraphs to make it easy to read and skim (not all blog readers actually read every word).
• Please include a picture and a brief bio (a few sentences) including links to your blog/twitter/fb so our readers can find you (if applicable).
• Send your entire post to us in html format. Simply draft your post in your blog. Include your pictures, bios, links, head shot, etc. within your drafted post. Then, copy from your html tab and paste in the body of your email to leighann (at) butterflyministriesllc (dot) org. Please, no WORD OR PAGES ATTACHMENTS. Not a blogger, but have something to say? Email Leigh Ann anyway!

What We Will Do:

• Edit for grammatical errors and format to fit the style of Intentional By Grace.
• Schedule your post.
• Email you with a post date and link, so you can share an excerpt on your blog the day your post goes live.
• Promote via social media forums, including our weekly newsletter. We want  you to get some exposure!

We are in no way trying to stifle your writing. We just think these guidelines will help streamline the process for all of us before you work hard and then we find we need to change some things.

Disclaimer:

The things that have to get said … just in case. Though we welcome all posts and post ideas to be submitted, we cannot guarantee that your post will be published. We retain the right to determine whether or not it fits with the overall mission of Intentional By Grace. And no advertising posts will be accepted unless otherwise agreed upon. We accept advertising on this site, and you can get more information here.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Do You Want to Guest Post on Intentional By Grace? appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

I just had such a great quiet time this morning (amongst the playing toddlers!). I was working on a Bible study and was filling out a little “question/survey” form put together by Priscilla Shirer. It just made me think. I think it would be a good exercise for each and every one of you.

Do you feel like it is all in vain? Do you feel like you go through the motion of serving God? You go to Church, pray, listen to Worship music instead of “regular” music, attend Bible studies, teach your children of Jesus, and yet, you feel flat?

I do. A lot. But “something” keeps me doing it. What is it? Perhaps it is “that” experience. That glimpse we get of Jesus that we don’t always see. That sweet touch from Him. That gentle Word from Him. The necessary comfort of a Savior we so desperately need.

Thank you Jesus for “that” experience.

Sister, it isn’t always “that” way for me. If it were, it would be easy to be a follower of the Most High. Everyone would do it. What do I mean??

God turns our faithfulness, or habits (daily time in the Word and  prayer) into a life-changing heart experience.  He doesn’t allow you to “just go through the motions” for a long period of time. Yes, there are times when you will be in the Word daily and feel as though you aren’t getting anything out of it but then, VOILA! All of the sudden you experience enlightenment, excitement, motivation!

Here is where I can base this on truth (as well as personal experience):

Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

And how about this one:

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Sweet reader, I am personally, immediately convicted by this verse. I rely heavily on self-sufficiency and control. By doing so I am left behind God’s promises as I am ill-equipped to handle “life” by myself.

And why am I writing this to you TODAY? Because God commands it to be TODAY. Any delay is disobedience!

As my husband and I say to our kids: “Obey the first time, every time, with a happy heart!”

Again, some truth to base my comment on:

“Again He designates a certain day, saying in David, ‘Today’ after such a long time as it has been said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’” Hebrews 4:7.

So profound yet so simple. We must surrender to Him.

It won’t be easy and it may “suck” but He will alter our will, our desire, to line up with His. We must FIRST surrender to Him. I want to stop missing out on what He has planned. I want to stop trying to do it with our own powers and our own decision-making skills.

Surrender!

Today.

How will you do it?

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Surrender it All, Today appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

This post is part of a ten part series on What to Do When the Church Lets You Down. You can see all the posts in this series here.

As I was preparing for this post, I was reminded of a comment left on the post Remember Who God is When the Church Lets You Down. I found it both insightful and encouraging, and I believe a wonderful way to introduce today’s post. I will add my emphasis to what I want to draw attention to today.

Well said! I had an eye opening experience related to this when we left our church (it was the first church we had ever been involved in as a family)~ I felt naked, alone, vulnerable, alone like I had no “covering” or protecting from evil – so many different emotions and fears raced through my head. The fact is, I looked at the “building” and the people in it as my protection/covering instead of GOD – sometimes I think I had to travel down that road to really have my eyes opened to who God really is and where He needs to be in my life. He is my everything – my lifeline!

For those who have been hurt by the church, you understand the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable. Just as this commenter viewed the church as her protection and covering, we can easily fall into the trap of believing the church (the building) is our god and our covering.

We believe the church building is our god

Allowing the church building and the people in it to move into God’s rightful place is a misplacement of God. Yet the feeling of nakedness and vulnerability at being exposed is a tangible example of the truth of scripture.

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. ~Hebrews 4:13

As we talked about last week, we must remember that God is the only true God. There is no other besides Him (Deuteronomy 4:39). In addition, He is a Holy God, a God without sin or blemish, a God who cannot be in the presence of sin.

As sinners, we cannot come into God’s presence on our own merit. We are naked and exposed before Him, nothing is hidden from His sight. Yet I think we often forget a very important truth – we will give account to this most holy God.

When we do remember, we run to church and think this is enough to save us or what will save us. The church building becomes our god, and often just like the commenter above we don’t even realize it has happened.

We believe the church building is our covering

In addition, believing the church building is our covering is a misplacement of Christ. The feeling of nakedness and vulnerability at being exposed is a tangible example of yet another truth of scripture.

For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ~2 Corinthians 5:21

This part of scripture is known as The Great Exchange. God reconciled our sinfulness by making his sinless Son bear the penalty of our sins. Our God is a holy God and it is only through the sacrifice of Christ that we are made holy and … are covered. Christ clothes us in the white linens of His righteousness.

Just as in the Garden of Eden many years ago, God still longs to give us the clothes of covering, but thiss time in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our covering is not the church building or even the people it in. So when the church lets us down, we can turn our eyes to the one who will never let us down – Jesus Christ.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ~1 Peter 1:6-7

When the church lets you down, your faith is tested. Where does your hope lie? Where is your righteousness found? Where is your security?

Clothe yourselves in Christ.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ~1 Peter 2:24

Be healed, my friend, by the only balm of this world – Jesus Christ’ sacrifice for you. The church did not die for you. Christ did! Look to Him and may this testing result not in turning your back on Christianity, but instead result in the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of coming more and more into the fullness of Jesus Christ.

Has Christ been misplaced as your covering?

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Remember What Jesus Did When the Church Lets You Down appeared first on Intentional By Grace.

Sister-in-Love with Sam at 4 months

I have a sister-in-love who is my hero. She married my “big-little brother” (as I call him), and I don’t really remember life before her. She’s just another sister to me, and I would never consider using the word “in-law” to describe her.

She happens to be a military wife, and as a wife who of a man who travels, I have tasted on a very small scale what it means to have your husband gone while you’re back caring for little bodies and running the home. I want to grow in caring for her from afar since I live thousands of miles away.

But I need help because the Lord did not give me the gift of service or gift giving. I don’t intuitively know what you need unless you live in my home. And when you have a baby it takes me days, even weeks, to decide what meal from my arsenal to take you. I over think gifts and consider not doing anything at all because, “I’m sure you’ll hate it.”

I know some of you are giving me a hearty, “Amen!” right now, while others of you are appalled that I’d choose nothing over just doing something. I get it. I know it’s ridiculous, and I’m seeking to grow in this area. Add to it an incredible desire to serve and care for family from a far and I’m just in a mess.

So can you help me brainstorm?

What do you put in a care package for military wives?

I don’t care how obvious of an idea it is I want to hear it. If you’re a military wife, what would you love to receive in the mail when your husband is deployed or training? Just leave your answer in the comments, and if you have a blog post or blog on this topic, feel free to leave it in the comments as well!

Intentional By Grace has gifts for you.

The post Ask the Readers: What Do You Put in a Care Package for Military Wives appeared first on Intentional By Grace.