A Holy Dichotomy

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A Holy Dichotomy

A Holy Dichotomy?

2/14/24 = Ash Wednesday + Valentine’s Day

Juxtaposition or placing our heart in just the right position?

Two apparently different observances falling on the same day, but more apparent is what they both have to say about the only true love we will ever know — the love of God the Father through Jesus Christ His Son.

And oh how this world desperately needs this love…

The holiest of juxtapositions for sure. The Bible is full of seemingly contradictory concepts, and yet, when we take time to “ponder anew what the Almighty can do,” the dichotomies we see just communicate His great love a little more clearly.

God’s GREAT love for us is just that — it is the GREATest of the loves that we will ever know.

It is a love that cannot be fully realized until we truly realize our GREAT need for this GREAT love.

In my opinion, the dichotomy surrounding love and lent is even more beautiful when the two are blended together.

Strength made perfect and weakness.

Fullness felt only after emptiness is indwelt.

The bondage of sin leading to freedom in Him.

Apparently, you can’t spell vaLENTine without LENT.

True love is experienced only in a relationship with Truth and Love Himself.

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬, ‭NLT‬‬)

“God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” (1 John 4:16, NLT)

{And as I just looked up these two verses, the similarities jumped out at me — John and 1 John, 14:6 and 4:16 — transposed numbers highlighting these holy juxtapositions}

Ash Wednesday reminding us as God reminded Adam: “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬b, ‭ESV‬‬)

We are but dust. Our Creator formed us, and He alone can fill us. And when we go straight to the source to receive love, forgiveness, acceptance, grace, mercy, and truth, those are the things we can then give to others.

Valentine’s Day reminding us that Saint Valentine gave his life trying to keep love alive by marrying soldiers in secret since a Roman decree forbade it.

To love others well, we must dwell in Love.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬, ‭NLT‬‬)

“Man approaches God most nearly when he is in one sense least like God. For what can be more unlike than fullness and need, sovereignty and humility, righteousness and penitence, limitless power and a cry for help?” (C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves)

A Holy Dichotomy for sure.

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Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily — Reason 1: A Daily Walk

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Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily — Reason 1: A Daily Walk

I’m pretty passionate about the transformational power of a daily walk with God. Why? Because I’ve lived it and witnessed it, and I’ve watched how resistance to it and running from it have opposite results and actually give sin power.

Sin separates us from God. The Gospel makes a way for us to be reconciled to God and set free from that sin that separates.

It’s powerful. It’s transformational.

That’s why when I woke up this morning, I remembered going through this little book last June and sharing some thoughts everyday along the way. It was such an encouragement to me then, so I decided to do it again — as a reminder and to combat sin.

I pray this “blog series” throughout the month of June might be as encouraging to you as it is to me as I simply share some of the “whys” behind the Christian “walk.”

What is so powerful about reading God’s Word DAILY?

Throughout this series, I’ll be referencing this amazing resource used in my devotional time in the mornings — a thin little book, less than 100 pages, written by Milton Vincent, entitled, “A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love.”

First of all, I highly recommend it, from its format to its function, it takes the reader through the “whys” and in so doing, strengthens the “walk.” Secondly, I’d love to take you through the first section with me (daily throughout the month of June).

We can engage in conversation in the comments about these 30 reasons why we should rehearse the gospel daily.

“The gospel isn’t one class among many you’ll attend during your life as a Christian – the gospel is the whole building that all the classes take place in! Rightly approached, all the topics your study and focus on as a believer will be offered to you ‘within the walls’ of the glorious gospel.” ~ CJ Mahaney, “The Cross Centered Life”

So, the first “why” to our “walk” we’ll discuss — It is a DAILY need. We must walk “IN” it as we walk it “OUT” daily.

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His Word > our words. His Truth > our truth.

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His Word > our words. His Truth > our truth.

I love the book of Ephesians. Today I spent time in Chapter 4, and it made me think ALOT about our words in light of His Word and our tone in light of His Truth. I encourage you to read it, too. I promise it is more powerful than these words I’m about to share with you.

Allie Beth Stuckey put it this way, “It goes back to pride. We think we are more loving than God, we think we are wiser than God, we think we are more compassionate and empathetic than God, we think we know truth better than God. It’s all about exchanging the God of scripture for the god of self.”

When we think we know better than God, and we abandon His Truth, we will inevitably give in to the deception of the enemy. We will buy into the lie by constantly asking the question the enemy himself asked Eve in the garden, “Did God really say?”

He tries to trick us into thinking our tone is more important than speaking the truth.

He tries try to tempt us to believe our words show others love by coddling and comforting them, even if our words condone their sin.

We’re more concerned about how something sounds than what is being said.

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We Can Say All the Right Things in All the Wrong Ways

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We Can Say All the Right Things in All the Wrong Ways

We can say all the right things in all the wrong ways.


Even saying there is an absolute truth or only one right way seems rather unpopular these days. And one who holds a worldview that would claim such a thing is seen as arrogant, insensitive, and unloving.


In an effort to not mince words or speak too vaguely about the topic at hand, when I say, “We can say all the right things in all the wrong ways,” the “we” is “me” (and you too if you hold fast to a Biblical Worldview), the “things” are Biblical Truths held by those with a Biblical Worldview.


When Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6), we take Him literally, trust Him completely, and seek Him continually.


When we do that, we find that He never changes, but we should be changing everyday as we become more like Him in our actions and attitudes — in everything we say and do.


So, in these conversations we’re having, knowing we want to say the right thing in the right way, with God’s help, let’s work on our tone, temperament, and timing.


TONE (Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 4:6)

We can say the right thing in the wrong tone.

Instead we should be full of grace, seasoned with salt, avoiding any unwholesome talk.


TEMPERAMENT (Romans 8:5)

We can say the right thing with the wrong temperament.

Instead we should put off our flesh, and be led by His Spirit.


TIMING ( 2 Timothy 4:2-4, Ephesians 5:15-16)

We can say the right thing at the wrong time.


Instead we should remember His timing is perfect, and waiting on Him is always worth it.


So, speak the truth boldly, but as you speak, yield to the Spirit, and do it with love, grace, and humility.


Humility is key to allow grace in the space where hearts can be open to receive the truth that is spoken.


You can say what you mean without saying it mean.


Seek the truth before you speak the truth, so when you speak the truth others will want to seek the truth.

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“A lie doesn’t become the truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by the majority.”

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“A lie doesn’t become the truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by the majority.”

A lie doesn’t become the truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by the majority.

— Booker T. Washington


A lie doesn’t become the truth.


There’s a whole lotta lying going on in this world. Don’t believe everything you hear. Ask questions. Dig deep. Think critically and logically. Once you buy in to a fallacy, your gauge for truth forms a codependency with some alternate reality. Truth becomes relative, which degrades its authority, and removes its validity. Is that the kind of truth you want to believe?


Wrong doesn’t become right.


Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and although I love the movie “Dan in Real Life” (like it’s one of my favorite movies EVER), I don’t agree with this line of Marie’s “There’s a certain rightness to our wrongness.” That’s called compromise. It justifies the wrong because you wish it were right. Like truth, right can’t be relative. If it were, the line between right and wrong is blurred and the fight between wrong and right becomes meaningless and absurd. Also contrary to the way of the world, two wrongs don’t make a right, and one wrong is enough to start the descent down the slippery slope of sin, a path that will never lead to rightness or righteousness.


Evil doesn’t become good.


Evil is borne of darkness, and good of light. 2 Corinthians 6:14 warns us that light and dark cannot have communion or fellowship. We, as children of God, have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9) The evil of sin and darkness stay evil, sinful, and dark. Thus the juxtaposition of coming out of that darkness and into the light. Evil remains evil, but people can change. By the power of God and the goodness of His light that offers abundant and eternal life, He woos and wins us by His great love for us. He never changes. His love never fails. But we can be changed forever as His love prevails. Evil doesn’t become good, but our good good Father, as He pursues us, can pull us out of the evil that tries to consume us.


Just because it’s accepted by the majority.

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