Holy Grit — Confronting Legalism with Grace - Friday
Today’s Verse
Titus 3:4-7
But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. (NLT)
The boys I lead at Southland Students are seniors now. After nearly 10 years and around 20 camps and retreats together, I have plenty of stories—but I'll spare you with just one. During their junior year Fall Retreat, we'd turned in for the night. You know how boys at camp can be—plotting ways to sneak out, meet girls, or generally break the rules. My camp strategy has always been simple: no warnings and threaten immediate trips home if they caused trouble (yes, legalistic, I know… don’t judge me). Then I'd put in my headphones, cover my head, and hope for the best. Believe it or not, after 20 trips, I'd never lost a kid or sent one home early. For the most part, everything went smoothly. Not this retreat.
I woke to muffled voices, so I pulled out my headphones and saw Connor Hall, our Lexington Campus high school staffer, sternly instructing some kids across the room to "put it away and go to bed." After he left, I reluctantly got up to reinforce the point. To my surprise, the boys weren't planning trouble or doing something crazy—they were playing late-night chess by iPhone flashlight. Knowing my boys as more athletic than academic, I was genuinely baffled. I shook my head, told them to sleep, and went back to bed.
All that to say, I certainly don't deserve the opportunity I've had to lead these boys for a decade, helping them navigate life and faith. Honestly, there have been times I've felt guilty. I’ve worried that my leadership might've hindered them from connecting with someone else as their leader who could point them more effectively toward Jesus. Legalism reinforces that guilt. I don’t deserve to represent Jesus; after all, I’m so different from Him most days. I don’t deserve to work at a church—I’ve sinned countless times, even today. But that's exactly the point. I don't deserve any of this, and neither do you. Yet, Jesus gave it to us anyway.
REFLECTION
Do you struggle with accepting that Christ’s death and resurrection were for you because you feel you’re not good enough? Head over to the Easter page on our website at southland.church/easter and make plans to attend a service on April 19 or 20. I didn't deserve the chance to design that page to help you find Easter services, but God put me there—and maybe He’s put you here to encounter Him this Easter.
