The Grove

Paying For It Twice

A few months ago my husband and I were praying over some debts and making plans to pay as much of it off as we could. Early in our marriage we made a lot of mistakes with debt. We believed the lie that because we both worked hard we "deserved" to have what we wanted. We collected a stack of credit cards and started spending. We quickly fell behind on payments and got into a mess, including bankruptcy.  

Several years later,  after medical bills from cancer treatment, costs from going back to college and more mistakes, we still had a lot of debt. We were making progress- but more slowly than we had hoped. Through the Holy Spirit we had our eyes opened to the truth about debt and that it is a master over us. We desired to be set free and began working toward freedom.

At the rate we were making payments, one debt would have taken us 3 years to pay off. In God's miraculous provision, it was forgiven us! In the the mail a week later I received the document showing our account closed. Stamped across the top in red ink were the words "CANCELLATION NOTED". We were free and that freedom felt so good. 

What would you say to me if I told you that I continued making payments on that debt? And what if I told you that sometimes when I felt guilty that I wasn't paying enough or that I wasn't paying it fast enough, sometimes I even paid extra? You would tell me that I was crazy, right? That no sane person would continue to pay for something they didn't owe. It's like paying it twice!

What if I told you that you do it too? 

If you took a survey with the question, "What do you have to do to get to heaven?", many people would tell you that you need to "Be a good person.", "Read your bible.", or "Go to church." Even as Christ followers who know that apart from a relationship with Christ none of those things will get you there, we still spend a lot of time trying to earn our salvation. We set up a list of rules for ourselves and feel condemned when we can't fulfill it. Even worse, we condemn those around us whose sin seems "worse" than our own. No wonder the world is hesitant to step into relationship with Jesus when we make that relationship look pretty darn depressing at times. 

Romans 3:23 tells us,  "for all have fallen short of the glory of God."

Did you catch that word "all"? That means everyone. None of us are off the hook. We have all messed up.

And according to the book of Isaiah, it gets worse.

"Your iniquities (your sins) have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isa 59:2.

Because of our sin, we owe a massive debt to God. A debt that we can not pay. Even if we try making payments on it for the rest of our lives, we are bankrupt. 

But there is hope. 

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:13-14

On the day that Jesus was nailed to the cross he shed his blood for us, and doing so he paid our debt. The last words that came from his lips as he died were, "It is finished."  

In other words "CANCELLATION NOTED." Jesus is the ultimate debt reduction program. 

My prayer is that you would walk in this freedom today friends. Stop making payments on a debt that you don't owe!

Blessings friends,

Mandy Sherwood

We're doing it!

Good morning friends! I wanted to take a moment this morning to tell you how overwhelmingly humbled and blessed I am to be a part of this ministry. We are doing it! We are changing lives and taking ground for the Kingdom together! 

Here we are in the middle of the Winter/Spring semester and it's easy to get bogged down a bit with life. Kids get sick, schedules get hectic and sometimes it's just easy to say to yourself, "It's not really a big deal if I miss The Grove just this once." Before you know it you miss one more and since you've missed two already you're already behind so you decide to start fresh "next semester".  I know how this goes. I've been there in the past.

But girls, this is exactly what Satan wants to do. He wants to get you out there on your own. To separate you from the flock, and it's there that he can work his dirty work in your life. Even if you've missed a few weeks, or even if you don't  have a clue where your book is (don't ask me how I know about that one) come back, make a little wiggle room for the rest of us and we will do this thing together. 

Here is an email that I got this morning from Molly Lawson. I'm sharing it with her permission. It is a testament to what being in community with others and doing the "work" of diving into the study you're in this semester can do in your life. Thanks, Molly for being transparent with us.

 

"Yesterday I was on the phone with a friend talking about our Bible study and hers.  Do any of you process stuff by talking it out loud?  Well, I certainly do.  And during this conversation I had one of those "ah ha" moments where I felt my sin so deeply!  I was sharing (a) verse that I shared at our table, Psalms 37 in the NLT that says "He delights in EVERY DETAIL of their lives."  Learning that God cares even about what I put in my mouth has been eye opening, to say the least, but thinking on the "EVERY" in this verse opened my eyes even more.  As I thought about those little details of my life, God brought to light all those "little" sins in my life as well.  He reminded me that sin is sin.  The so-called big sins of others are the same as my self-righteous little hidden sins. OUCH. 

 

And, wonder of wonders, (NOT) the verse "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Matthew 7:1) popped into my head.  The truth is all believers will be judged on the last day.  All my sins will be brought to light.  Those little ones that I had hidden so well behind my "normalcy."  OUCH again. 

 

A big wash of guilt came over me.  I was a wee bit overwhelmed at the magnitude of my sin.  But God gives grace.  Think on this:  "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' "  (Lamentations 3:22-24)  How cool is that?  There's that word "portion" again, that Lysa talked about in (our) video Tuesday.  He is what I need to overcome these sins.  Pretty cool indeed."  

Blessings friends,

Mandy Sherwood

 

Risky Obedience

Over the past year and a half God has called my husband and I into a season of sacrifice and risky obedience.

First, he called Tim to trade a job with monetary value but no spiritual value for one with less monetary value but endless spiritual potential.

At the very same time our financial situation got tighter he began calling me to release my grip of fear in His ability to provide for us and to give financially in a way that was painful on our budget. Even though I knew all we have belonged to Him I still alternated between a state of either fear or complete trust. 

At that very same time our housing situation was bleak. Our home was falling apart. We had multiple structural problems including mold in the walls of our trailer. We were bursting at the seams of this tiny home that was disintegrating rapidly and I spent many hours in prayer, crying out to God, "Lord, I know this is not your will for us. You have called us to more. I am at the end of myself and  powerless to change this situation. You have to do it for me." And then, as I finally opened my hands in surrender, he came to our rescue. 

Over the next couple of months we saw the promise of Malachi 3:10 come to fruition in our lives ;

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

Gifts began showing up in Tim's mailbox exactly when we needed it. We were blessed at Christmas and were provided a much needed vehicle for Tim to drive back and forth to Osage each weekend. And just two weeks ago God took us out of the trailer and into in a beautiful farm house with space for my kids to run and play. We wake each morning to an amazing sunrise out our back door and cows in the field out our front door. I stand in awe of His blessings and provision. 

I'm not sharing this story out of any pride or desire to have any credit. I am telling this story so that you may see the blessing and favor of our Father in heaven. He wants to love on you in extravagant ways if you surrender to Him. 

What would he have you open your hands to today?

Is it your finances? Is he calling you to give in a way that hurts?

Your service? Is he calling you to serve in areas that you never felt bold enough to step into before?

Is it your pride? Is he calling you to honor your husband when to you, he doesn't seem worthy of that honor? 

Maybe it's the time line of your life.. you had hoped to be married, or have children, or that job you wanted so badly a long time ago and still you wait.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

His Word is true. When we get out of the way and stop trying to make everything work in our own power He is free to rain down blessings. I can't wait to hear how he has blessed you. 

Blessings friends,

Mandy Sherwood