Helping you find freedom by laying down performance-driven Christianity. There is a place for you here. Welcome.
This is the first of a three part series on burnout and depression. 
Just a reminder – here is our weekly sequence:
One more thing before you listen – when you comment, everyone that is a part of the Laying it Down community learns and grows…so don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts. We want this to be a place of conversation, not a lecture hall! Okay – now you can listen.
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I always w
anted to cross it out. Every time I read John 14:21 it discouraged me. It condemned me to being a perpetual failure. I disconnected it from the gospel and read it this way…
“You need to obey to show God you love him so that He will be pleased with you and will love you back.”
Another day trying hard but most likely not hard enough and therefore unloved. But when I put my version of verse 21 in the context of the gospel, I knew it could not have the meaning I was giving it.
When I learned to re-read this beautiful verse in the light of the gospel – it changed from a “prove your love verse” to an “identity verse” – a verse describing me and who the gospel has made me to be. The gospel has taught me to read it like this:
“You keep my commands and love me because I have given you a new nature and I have loved you first. Don’t ever think you obey and love me so that the Father and I will love you back. We made you into someone who has the ability and desire to obey, not so you can earn our love, but so that you can experience the love we already have for you.”
Or more simply:
“He who has my commands and keeps them and loves me (because of who I have made them to be and because I loved them first) is that person who experiences the love of God. And that is you!”
It is no longer a prove it or a performance verse…it is an identity verse that describes me…and it showcases the GOOD NEWS of the gospel! I have my “gospel version” taped in the back of my Bible so I can keep reminding myself of the gospel everyday.
ACTION: Tape this “gospel version” in your Bible and then Facebook a friend who needs some good news today and suggest they become a subscriber.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Our first Tuesday PODCAST is available. You can find it by scrolling down here or on the podcast page…soon they will always be on the podcast page. Also – an RSS feed will soon be available for your convenience.
Podcast # 1 – March 22, 2016
Welcome to our very first podcast! Our plan is to come to you every Tuesday. This week my partner Patrick shares about a huge turning point in his Christian life. It is one I can identify with I think you will as well.
Our aim is to have our podcasts last about twelve minutes – long enough to contain some solid content, but not so long that you will need to reschedule your day.
Next week we will start a three session series on the lessons I learned from depression and burnout and then after that Patrick and I will begin to dig into the Scriptures with you.
If you discover bugs in the technology that we have not found, be sure to leave a comment! When you try something new, you tend to learn a lot…and we are in the process of learning a whole lot. Hopefully every week you will notice some improvement!
Click on the play icon below…
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