Congratulations to everyone who made it to the New Thru 30 finish line.  It’s a very big deal to read through the entire New Testament in 30 days.  I’m proud of you.

For those of you who weren’t able to keep up with the pace, or still have a few days to go, don’t beat yourself up.  Keep reading.  It’s not about finishing a project.  It’s about the continual process of knowing Jesus.

For those of you who finished, don’t check Bible reading off your to-do list and lose your momentum.  We’ve put together a transitional reading plan that will help you get on a much slower paced, much more moderate track to consuming God’s Word daily.  You can access it here.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this project worldwide.
We’re living in incredible times to leverage the power of technology for the purpose of the Word of God.

Let’s make the most of it.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord stands forever.
-1 Peter 1:24-25

Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.
-Revelation 2:5a

This verse helps me think about repentance in a brand new light.
Many people associate the word repent with groveling and feeling really, really, really bad about what you’ve done.

No doubt, the heart of repentance is humility.  We can’t truly repent if we aren’t grieved by our sin in the light of God’s grace.

But when John commands the church at Ephesus to repent, he doesn’t call them into a place of shame and guilt.  Instead, he tells them to remember the height from which they have fallen.  And to get back to that place through genuine, Biblical repentance.

To me, that’s the essence of repentance.
Re=back
Pent=top

To repent means to get back to the top.  Back to God’s perspective.  His ways.  His truth.

There’s a time to kneel and bow down in repentance.
But there’s also a time to rise up, move forward, and get back to your rightful place in God.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
-2 Timothy 2:1

Most of us normally associate grace with weakness.
In fact, a lot of times, grace is portrayed as a sort of sheen to cover our shortcomings.

So we access God’s grace to cover our mistakes, sins, and failures.

But Paul tells Timothy to be strong in the grace of Jesus.

The grace of God is not a commodity just to cover our weakness.
It is power to change our lives.

Be strong in the grace!

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
-John 11:21-22

Most of us give up on God too easily.

Martha was very frustrated with Jesus.  Her situation was hopeless.  Her brother, Lazarus, had been dead four days.  It doesn’t get much worse than that.

But there was something about Martha that didn’t allow her confusion and despair to overwhelm her faith.

Even now…she insisted, I believe in your power to resurrect the dead.

It’s one thing to trust in God when your situation is on life support.  It’s another thing to trust God when your dream is dead and in the ground.

Maybe a relationship in your life just fell apart.
Maybe you lost your job last year.
Maybe you’ve made some terrible mistakes that have cost you a lot of time and opportunity.

But it’s not over as long as Jesus is on the scene.

Even now He can restore your relationships.
Even now He can supply all your needs.
Even now He can forgive you and make you whole.

Trust Him, believe Him, hope in Him…
Even now!