----UNVARNISHED TRUTH / FREEDOM AND FORGIVENESS IN JESUS !

---"As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long. . . .
---[Psalm 71:14-15] --

---We do not choose to follow Jesus because we have life all worked out— no challenges, no problems, no hurdles, no difficulties. We follow Jesus because He gives us hope that we can change and strength to help us rise above life’s difficulties. Rather than lead our lives bent over by shame and guilt and condemnation, we have found freedom and forgiveness.

Some of us have sanitized our life before Christ to the point that we cannot acknowledge what it was like to be without Him. Without that honest reflection on our sin and the transformation He has worked in us, we have no Jesus-story to tell. I would not encourage you to glorify the sinful state of your life before Christ, but neither would I encourage you to deny the transformation He has brought to you. When you are truthful with yourself and others about what He has done for you, you open the door for Him to continue working in your life, and you give yourself opportunities to tell about how gracious your God is.

THINK ABOUT IT
Are you honest with yourself about what God has done for you? Do you acknowledge the ways He has transformed your life?

PRAYER
--"Heavenly Father, thank You for Your abundant grace, forgiveness, and freedom. Help me share my unvarnished God-story, that others may see and know the riches of Your sacrificial kindness and Your great power for those who would believe. In Jesus’ name, amen."
Blessings,
Pastor Allen Jackson