Spiritual experience is a gift, not something to m Spiritual experience is a gift, not something to muster or manufacture. 

If I ever find the guts to get a tattoo, it would be this. A constant reminder of true reality:

I am saved, kept and loved based on objective facts and grounded in a perfect person, Christ, never my subjective feelings and circumstances and abilities. 

Tim Keller says, “what makes you a Christian is Jesus’ work, not what goes on inside you.”

Experiencing God is not a requirement to live life with Him, but it is a sweet gift and worthy of hungering for. 

Grace through faith. Everything. Always.
✨ Her — only wants to eat cheese, most of the ✨

Her — only wants to eat cheese, most of the time walks on her tiptoes, loves playing with the car seat straps, chews on her finger constantly, has the best smile, learning more words and pushing boundaries something serious

Me — not sure what to do with her wild hair, getting creative with God on recharging in moments that aren’t so relaxing, using every minute of nap time for design work and loving it and becoming a bit obsessive with walking our quiet driveway
Some days you wonder how it could be this awesome Some days you wonder how it could be this awesome and other days she keeps trying to eat rocks and you don’t brush your teeth until 3 o’clock. 

Solidarity, parents.
@themasters weekend @themasters weekend
#Repost @allthecounterthings
・・・
(cue ‘I’m So Excited’ by The Pointer Sisters)

One of my biggest giveaways to date!

I believe in @beautycounter, even to gift some GREAT things so that you’ll try them for yourself that they may serve you. 

It’s @themasters Friday, and in my city that means an exciting few days is ahead. 

May it be so with your clean beauty swapping!
(Until April 17th. 😊)

Need suggestions or a guide around the website? Message me or click the link in my bio to take a skincare quiz or to find your right foundation shade or to request samples. 

I’m here to help! And I can’t WAIT to gift someone this box of goodness. 

peep @emeraldoxco amazing coffee
What a joy to spend the morning with the beautiful What a joy to spend the morning with the beautiful @ashtonquattlebaum. 

We knew each other in middle/high school, now we’re adults and because of Beautycounter, reconnecting and working and dreaming together.

HOW. COOL. 

This is my ‘why’ with Beautycounter — the opportunity to cultivate friendships and help and love women where God has them, connected by clean beauty products.
spotting airplanes and sharing goldfish spotting airplanes and sharing goldfish
#Repost @allthecounterthings ・・・ #preachingt #Repost @allthecounterthings
・・・
#preachingtomyself

When you abide in Christ, when you open yourself to His Spirit’s leading and changing, when you trust and obey Him, your whole being can become ministry.

Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God, do it with God, do it and see people as Jesus saw them, with needs and dreams, and love them. 

I have started more endeavors and realized more dreams in the last year then I think in my entire life. Joining @beautycounter was one of them. 

So I encourage you also — 

Take yourself seriously and not too seriously. Work diligently. Dream big. Be faithful. Have fun. Rest on Jesus. Hold it all with open hands. And enjoy it.
Anna when asked if she wants blueberries or to go Anna when asked if she wants blueberries or to go outside. #Easter2021
  • faith
  • marriage
  • motherhood
  • lifestyle
  • creative
  • books
  • beautycounter
  • Posts
    • Clothe Yourself With
    • Joy Triggers
    • Perspectives
    • Truth To Consider
    • Reading and Listening
  • about me
    • Favorites
  • Design
    • Freebies
  • contact

chelsea eubank

refreshment for the journey

  • Posts
    • Clothe Yourself With
    • Joy Triggers
    • Perspectives
    • Truth To Consider
    • Reading and Listening
  • about me
    • Favorites
  • Design
    • Freebies
  • contact

faith · 01/03/2014

Connection, not perfection.

Mercy. The reality, when believed, has the potential to transform your perspective, the way you live your life — but when it is misunderstood or complacently not embraced, can become a trap of doubt and uncertainty… tired living.

I read an article recently written by John Piper on January 1, 2002. It’s a word for the beginning of the year, and I think it’s a truth that my human soul what do well to meditate on at each year’s start.

Piper makes the remark that “all we will get from God this year as believers in Jesus is mercy.” Whatever pains or pleasures, highs or lows,  that come our way will all be mercy. This perspective, for us humans, is sometimes a hard one to hold fast too. BUT I can say that the times I have allowed the Holy Spirit to give me eyes to truly see, I can say my soul does indeed radiate gratitude.

Now, let me vent about my lack of real faith sometimes (or what I, in my humanness, think to be a lack of real faith). . I’ve conditioned myself to feel like my faith has to be grand, perfect, relentless natural. In Luke 17:5, the apostles pleaded with the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said (v. 6), “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

I unashamedly confess I pray this prayer often.  Piper remarks, “In other words, the issue in your Christian life and ministry is not the strength or quantity of your faith, because that is not what uproots trees. God does.” God is all-powerful, the Creator of the universe; moving trees and mountains is a small thing for Him.

“The issue is not perfection for Christ, but connection to Christ.”

Piper then makes a charge: Take heart, the smallest seed of faith connects with all of Christ’s mercy. So really, maybe it’s more about the sincerity of the heart, of the faith, with a desire to truly connect with God.

On the flip side you have obedience, but what I have meditated on recently is that both the fullest obedience and the smallest faith obtain the same thing from God: mercy. Hallelujah. 

“The point is: whatever the timing or form of God’s mercy, we never rise above the status of beneficiaries of mercy. We are always utterly dependent on the undeserved.”

So this year I resolve to do my best, with the strength and grace of God’s Spirit inside me, to focus more on the authenticity of my faith than the measure of it.

In: faith · Tagged: faith

receive posts to your inbox

You’ll Also Love

discipleship — “have you met this side of God?”
A personal story: the appearance of streams when inside is a desert
enjoy God because you can

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

There lies the sweetness.

I'm Chelsea... a wife, mom and friend who enjoys all things peanut butter, clean beauty, the written word, and a good sports movie. This is my place to share real life and Biblical encouragement to draw us all to deeper joy in God. Pull up your favorite internet browser and stay awhile!

Search

Time Machine

Series

  • Clothe Yourself With
  • Joy Triggers
  • Perspectives
  • Truth To Consider
  • Current Read
  • Reading and Listening
Spiritual experience is a gift, not something to m Spiritual experience is a gift, not something to muster or manufacture. 

If I ever find the guts to get a tattoo, it would be this. A constant reminder of true reality:

I am saved, kept and loved based on objective facts and grounded in a perfect person, Christ, never my subjective feelings and circumstances and abilities. 

Tim Keller says, “what makes you a Christian is Jesus’ work, not what goes on inside you.”

Experiencing God is not a requirement to live life with Him, but it is a sweet gift and worthy of hungering for. 

Grace through faith. Everything. Always.
✨ Her — only wants to eat cheese, most of the ✨

Her — only wants to eat cheese, most of the time walks on her tiptoes, loves playing with the car seat straps, chews on her finger constantly, has the best smile, learning more words and pushing boundaries something serious

Me — not sure what to do with her wild hair, getting creative with God on recharging in moments that aren’t so relaxing, using every minute of nap time for design work and loving it and becoming a bit obsessive with walking our quiet driveway
Some days you wonder how it could be this awesome Some days you wonder how it could be this awesome and other days she keeps trying to eat rocks and you don’t brush your teeth until 3 o’clock. 

Solidarity, parents.
@themasters weekend @themasters weekend
#Repost @allthecounterthings
・・・
(cue ‘I’m So Excited’ by The Pointer Sisters)

One of my biggest giveaways to date!

I believe in @beautycounter, even to gift some GREAT things so that you’ll try them for yourself that they may serve you. 

It’s @themasters Friday, and in my city that means an exciting few days is ahead. 

May it be so with your clean beauty swapping!
(Until April 17th. 😊)

Need suggestions or a guide around the website? Message me or click the link in my bio to take a skincare quiz or to find your right foundation shade or to request samples. 

I’m here to help! And I can’t WAIT to gift someone this box of goodness. 

peep @emeraldoxco amazing coffee
What a joy to spend the morning with the beautiful What a joy to spend the morning with the beautiful @ashtonquattlebaum. 

We knew each other in middle/high school, now we’re adults and because of Beautycounter, reconnecting and working and dreaming together.

HOW. COOL. 

This is my ‘why’ with Beautycounter — the opportunity to cultivate friendships and help and love women where God has them, connected by clean beauty products.
spotting airplanes and sharing goldfish spotting airplanes and sharing goldfish
#Repost @allthecounterthings ・・・ #preachingt #Repost @allthecounterthings
・・・
#preachingtomyself

When you abide in Christ, when you open yourself to His Spirit’s leading and changing, when you trust and obey Him, your whole being can become ministry.

Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God, do it with God, do it and see people as Jesus saw them, with needs and dreams, and love them. 

I have started more endeavors and realized more dreams in the last year then I think in my entire life. Joining @beautycounter was one of them. 

So I encourage you also — 

Take yourself seriously and not too seriously. Work diligently. Dream big. Be faithful. Have fun. Rest on Jesus. Hold it all with open hands. And enjoy it.
Anna when asked if she wants blueberries or to go Anna when asked if she wants blueberries or to go outside. #Easter2021
I love what our pastor said this morning — If it I love what our pastor said this morning — If it was just the cross, we’d be a bunch of forgiven corpses. We have been saved TO something, the richest and fullest of life, in Christ, forever. 

May we be courageous people who know real hope and endurance in the sorrow of life and real gratitude and wonder in the good of it.

Listening

  • Knowing Faith
  • Home Fires
  • Gospel In Life
  • Be The Bridge

Your skin is your body's largest organ. How are you caring for it?

Let's talk clean beauty.

Reading

  • Isabel Wilkerson
  • Adam Alter
  • Elisabeth Elliot
  • Justin McRoberts & Scott Erickson

Copyright © 2021 chelsea eubank · Theme by 17th Avenue