November 14, 2018
The other morning I was getting ready for the day and looked up and noticed something sitting on my bookshelf. My mom loves to get me cute little trinkets, because well, she knows me better than anyone (love you, momma Allen). The item I was looking at was a dish towel that said, “I love Jesus but I cuss a little.” It made me chuckle during this moment, as it had made me laugh when I received the gift. However, the wheels in my brain started to turn a little while I thought about this statement. “I love Jesus, but...” I started thinking about all of the “buts” I’ve told myself throughout the years.
“I love Jesus, but I’m too busy with this right now.” “I love Jesus, but I can worry about that later.” “I love Jesus, but I want to go do this instead.”
In college, my “but” was “I love Jesus but I drink a little.” Quickly, a little turned into a lot...which turned into going out 5 nights of the week and being in the lowest of lows in my life. My walk with Jesus had turned into a whole long list of “buts”. I told them to myself and I also heard them from everyone around me: “Kayce, I love you but this isn’t working out for me anymore...” “Kayce, you’re smart but you need to be suspended for semester.” “Kayce, we’re friends but...” The list went on and on. Those are all true stories, they are all real moments, and they were all really, really difficult.
According to all-knowing-Sir-Google, the word “but” means:
but
/bət/
conjunction
conjunction: but
1. used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned.
Did you catch that? The word “but” is used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned. Read that again, maybe even 21312432 times. When you use that little 3-lettered conjunction, you are basically negating what you have said previously.
What is so special about scripture is that there is also a long list of “buts”. I like to call them the “but God” moments and they are quite literally the stop signs of scripture. Let’s take a look at Ephesians 2:3-4:
“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. BUT GOD, because of His great loves for us, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace that you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:3-4
If you unpack that little chunk of scripture, you’ll see that it has a beginning: All of us lived among them, gratifying the cravings of our flesh; An interception: But God, because of His great love for us; Then an end: Made alive in Christ even though we were dead in our transgressions.
We all have a but(t), literally and figuratively. Friend, I wonder what your but is. Take a moment and think about the “buts” you’ve been told in your life and even the ones that you’ve said to yourself. What is holding you back from being all in with Jesus? He decided that He was all in with you when He took His place at Calvary. No if, ands, or buts coming from Him. This week, my prayer for you is that you are able to take a moment with Jesus and figure out what is holding you back. The “buts” in our life can be such a speed bump in our faith. If you’re going to have a traffic stop, let it be a stop sign from God – I promise what He has to offer is so much better than anything we could even conjure up.
Have a fantastic week of worship.
I like big but(t)s from God and cannot lie,
Kayce
P.S. Thanks for being my friend despite my use of Sir. Mix-A-Lot songs.
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