KICKSTART DEVOTIONAL

VISIT AND SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE

On every Mission Discovery mission trip, we begin the morning together in God’s word. One speaker is chosen to give the word of the day so that everyone else can meditate on the Scripture. Our hope is that volunteers engage in group discussions throughout the day and in their small groups.

Since the way ministry is being done has shifted, our goal is to serve by creating resources that will help others focus on God throughout the day, and influence family and small group discussion.

Join us every weekday as we explore God’s word together. We will have speakers from all over the US and the world. Here is today’s Kickstart Devotional.

Video: Kelly Crawford // Be Better, Not Broken

Social Media Image for Small Groups

Be Better not Broken

Be Better, Not Broken

Mission Discovery Mission Trips with Kelly Crawford

 

Kelly Crawford has been volunteering with Mission Discovery for several years.  She has been on at least four mission trips and has also been an intern with us. She recently finished her degree and is working for Our Calling homeless ministry in Dallas, TX.

 

Howdy all. My name is Kelly Crawford and I actually did a devotion with Mission Discovery a couple weeks ago. But if you haven’t had a chance to see it just a little bit about me. I first started with Mission Discovery the summer before my senior year of high school, went on a couple of more trips with them. Then I actually interned with them this past summer. Now I work full time in Dallas and today I just want to ask one question and then just kind of dive into it. When we blow it, do we run to God, or from God?

That is a quote that Matt Chandler always says is a true telling of, if someone truly believes the gospel.  Because y’all, we blow it every single day because we’re a bunch of broken humans and sinners. And man when we blow it, do we run to God or from God. And I think, so many of us run from God and I just kind of want to talk about you know why is that.

And I want to read Romans 8: 31-35.

“What then shall we say to these things. If God is for us who can be against us. He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, with him, graciously give us all things. Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect. It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that. Who was raised, who is at the right hand of God who indeed is interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword.”

So there’s basically two things that kind of happen when we really blow it. And that could be, any type of sin, struggle whatever it may be.

And that is we there feel conviction or condemnation. I think so many of us tend to lead towards the condemnation route, at least for me. And condemnation is basically just self condemning ourselves, saying that we are worthless, we are trash, we have made God mad at us, we have separated us from the love of the father. And we love to dwell on that.

And y’all I want to ask. Why do we condemn ourselves, if Jesus doesn’t? Who is to condemn?  Because y’all, Christ Jesus is the one who died, on the cross for our sin. And so what’s done is done.  We are forever forgiven. So why do we choose to walk in self condemnation. Why is it that when we blow it we run from the cross.

I think so many of us convince ourselves that we have out sinned the cross. That, that one sin that we’re struggling with or we continue to do. That’s the one the man, we beat the cross and Jesus is like, “that one sin? Nope, not legit.”  Y’all we cannot, we can’t out sin the cross. What’s done is done in. We have invitation through conviction and relationship with the father,

to say, “okay Lord, I come to you, in a place of repentance. Jesus I’m sorry for the struggle that I am continuing to do. I’m sorry for the sin. Jesus I’m sorry for the way that I hurt this person.” In the first rebellion with sin, its against God not people right? So when we sin, we are hurting God. It doesn’t mean he stops loving us.

And so y’all we have invitation to walk in relationship with our heavenly father. And we, we’re going to blow it every single day.  I promise you every day, we’re going to blow it just because we’re broken humans.   And we have desires of the flesh and they can be pretty strong sometimes.  And sometimes we choose the desires of the flesh or the desires of the spirit, because we’re humans. But we,

why is it that we just love to walk in self condemnation and convince ourselves that we have out sinned the cross. And that, Jesus is now viewing us, not as his beloved child. And especially during this quarantine, you know, it’s a hard time. And a lot of struggle and doubt and hurt has come out of this isolation for so many people.

And during this time have you ran to Jesus or from him? Are you walking in shame and guilt and self condemnation? Or are you saying Okay,  I’m going to come to the Lord and complete honesty and say, “this is what I’m struggling with and this is where I’m hurt Lord.” And God loves our honesty, I encourage you to read Psalm 142 it’s basically King David just straight up quarantining in a cave and crying out to the Lord and being honest before him. And y’all during this time, I encourage you to be honest before God.

Understand that we have hope in Jesus Christ and then move forward, right. To say “Lord not my will be done, but yours.” We have an open invitation to that. That we get to walk with our heavenly Father. We don’t have to be chained down to our own self condemnation and to think that we are no longer worthy of a savior. And y’all, I promise you there is no sin that’s going to separate us from our Heavenly Father. God’s love for us is everlasting

and it’s something that we can never fully fathom. And y’all, that’s my hope for us. Is that we understand, that we can’t out sin the cross.  That Jesus’ love for us, covers all sin and that there’s a difference between condemnation and conviction. And are we using this time of quarantine and isolation, to really walk through that and say Okay,

am I someone who dwells in self condemnation?  Or am I going to understand the conviction in my heart? Understand this conviction because it’s sinful and it’s hurting God.  Which way am I going to choose, right? Because, I want us all to be able to walk out of this quarantine better, not broken.  And we get to do that by being honest before the Lord, and just yeah, being in relationship with Him. So I’m going to close this in prayer,

and I hope that y’all just learn something out of this today. So let’s pray, alright. Dear Lord, God we love you and we praise you because you are a good father who loves us, cares for us and sees us in the midst of our sin. In the midst of our struggle, hurt, pain, bitterness, the list goes on. God, I pray that we’re able to understand, that we don’t have to walk in self condemnation because you are not condemning us, Jesus.

That we get to walk in freedom, understand conviction and through conviction, that is wanting to look more like you, Jesus, to be sanctified to look more like you. And God, I just pray for health over everyone and during this virus, may we cling to you as our eternal hope. Father, may we just run to you, not from you when we blow it, which is an everyday thing. God we love you we praise you. Amen.

So just some questions to ask yourself. If God isn’t condemning me, why am I condemning myself?  Am I someone who is honest before God? And am I using this quarantine well? Am I using this time in isolation well?