Author: Lee A. Robinson

The 7 Last Sayings of Jesus On The Cross

/ Lee A. Robinson / 1 Comment

In recognition of the passion of Christ, I wanted to meditate on the crucifixion and take some time to write about it… 

The words that people use in their dying moments are supremely significant. If you only had a few minutes to live, what would you say to your loved ones or to the world? Most good people would probably boil it down to something like, “I love you,” if they only had one thing to say. Though Jesus had hours on the cross to speak, there is very little that he said (at least that is recorded for us), but a good way to summarize it would be, “I love you. I love you all – my family, my friends…my enemies.” Knowing who he was and that he was dying for the sins of all of us makes it so much more significant. Let’s take a look at each of his sayings while he hung on the cross . . . 

  1. “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). 

As we read the accounts of the crucifixion we are bombarded with the evil and cruelty of the people involved. The Pharisees were inflamed with jealousy over Jesus. Their brutal envy forced them to betray the most innocent blood: and not just any innocent blood: the most gentle, wise, loving, caring prophet, teacher and healer in the land – the Messiah, the Son of God. Judas sold out his Teacher for the price of a slave, betraying him with a kiss. The bloodthirsty Roman soldiers fed off of torturing him. Corrupt, ignorant, vicious Israelites jeered, scoffed and mocked him while he suffered on the cross. Even the other criminals who were crucified next to him laughed at and derided him. This is some pretty evil stuff. It’s one thing when people mistreat you or take advantage of you, but this is people in broad daylight torturing a righteous man and laughing at him over it. 

What was Jesus’ response to all of this? “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Jesus prayed for his torturers. He prayed that they would be forgiven; that they would at some point have their eyes opened to the fact that what they were doing was truly evil, and that they would be delivered from being punished for it. Jesus recognized that there were dark forces enslaving these people – bad religion, corrupt teachings, a fallen world, a depraved heart – that molded these people to be filled with hatred. He wasn’t excusing their sins, but in his pity expressed his desire that they would be freed. Jesus could see past their immediate actions to the loving hands of God that created them. Jesus genuinely loved the people who murdered him. 

Jesus loves you, my friend. You may not believe in God. You may even mock Jesus like many people do in our society today. You may even hate Jesus, and if given the chance – if you were there 2,000 years ago – you would have joined in with the crowd in gladly crucifying him. Just know that he loves you anyway. He wishes goodwill on you even though you hate him. 

Christian, do you love your enemies this way? Jesus’ prayer was answered in your case: you have had your eyes opened. You do understand that Jesus is the Son of God and that he was being nailed to the tree on account of your sins. You have been forgiven by the Father and immeasurably blessed by him. Are you a yielded vessel allowing Jesus to channel that same kind of compassion, love, forgiveness and prayers to those around you? Forgive. Forgive your spouse, your sibling, your parents, your children, your friends and your enemies. Forgive them completely, forever and for everything. Why? Because you have been forgiven the same way. 

  1. “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Jesus was crucified between two criminals. Initially, they both railed on Jesus, but at some unknown point, the one criminal had a change of mind and heart. As the hardened thief was denouncing Jesus, the softened criminal began to rebuke him, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:40‭-‬42). What happened to this man? My guess is that he observed the love, compassion and pity of Jesus for the hateful world and it gripped his heart. He saw how confidently Jesus placed his fate in the hands of God and it birthed in him faith that this truly was the Son of God. He believed and was converted! Right there on his cross! He entrusted his life and eternity to Christ. Jesus turned to him and assured him that they would enter into paradise together that day! Wow! What a story! 

We see here the eagerness of Jesus to save people. Jesus didn’t justly condemn this man for his crimes. He didn’t remind the criminal that he deserved to die. No, this man already acknowledged that much. Jesus didn’t demand him to become religious or jump through any holy hoops to access grace. Jesus wants one thing and one thing alone – allegiance, loyalty, faith. This lawbreaker courageously identified with Jesus right smack in the face of the world in all of its rage against the true God. I’m sure the crowd got a huge laugh at this interaction. But as they laughed on earth heaven rejoiced! Even in this deepest moment of pain and agony Jesus was bringing another lost sinner home with him! 

What a sweet picture – Jesus entering back into glory after his cosmic mission, and who does he bring with him – a condemned criminal, one among the worst on earth! This is representative of who Jesus came to save. He didn’t come to call the “righteous,” but sinners to repentance. This is because there is no one truly righteous on the earth apart from repentance and faith in Jesus. God loves you. He loves the worst of the worst of the worst. He loves those on death row and those guilty of the most vile crimes imaginable. He does not grant us eternal life because we are “good” or religious. People with good standing on earth are not more likely to be accepted by God. Rather, if we love him who took our place on the cross – that is how be gain acceptance with God. We love him and believe in him enough to identify with him who died for us. True faith in Christ is the kind that will die beside him and confess that his crucifixion is our total hope. I hope that you identify with him and that you also will be with him in paradise. 

  1. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

From noon to 3pm, as Jesus was on the cross, God brought a thick darkness over the land. The darkness during midday was a sign of God’s displeasure and wrath. Jesus was always obedient to his Father, but in those moments on the cross Jesus was absorbing the wrath of God in his body for our sins. “For he (the Father) hath made him (the Son) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4‭-‬5). This is the ultimate reason why he said, “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me.” Jesus didn’t displease the Father, but he was receiving the displeasure of the Father on our behalf. Jesus pleased the Father through being obedient unto death – even the death of the cross. He was forsaken – an eternity of perfect union with the Father – SEVERED – so we could be brought near. Praise God. He was dealt with like a hardened, stone cold, depraved, unrepentant, unremorseful world, so that we could be treated like the beloved, faithful, dignified Son of God!   

Another reason Jesus said this on the cross is because he was quoting David from Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalm 22:1). In short, David was in extreme agony because he was being persecuted by his people even though he was righteous. Jesus was identifying with David on the cross when he cried out this phrase. 

Praise the Lord that we have a Savior who willingly stood in the way of the wrath of God and man for us! The Bible says that God is angry with our sins every day (Psalm 7:11). He is perfectly Just and has perfect hatred against sin. Jesus – the only one who could fully satisfy God’s righteous rage – went to that cross to take our punishment. Amen. He is our King and Defender against the wrath of man. If we desire to be righteous we will have enemies – even those persecuting us into the name of “god” or “truth” or “love.” Thankfully, Jesus was and is willing to take the shame, ridicule and mockery to cheer us up and encourage us along the way. 

  1. “Woman, behold thy son! . . . Behold thy mother!” John 19:26-27

As his torture was coming to a close we have the last four sayings of Jesus. Before he died there was one last bit of unfinished business he had on the earth. He looks down and sees his mother Mary and standing next to her one of his most beloved disciples, John. As he sees them together, there is a natural recognition that this man would be the one to care for his mother after he left. With the world’s guilty burden on his shoulder he did not forget about his precious mother! He said to Mary, “Behold thy Son!” and then he said to John, “Behold thy mother!” I can imagine both of them looking at each other at that moment, perhaps not knowing everything that this would entail for their futures, but knowing that if Jesus was calling for it, then it must be right. 

There are several things going on here in my mind. One thing was that Jesus was entrusting the care of his mother to his disciple. The Scriptures are silent about Mary’s husband Joseph (perhaps he died at some point prior to this?) It seems unlikely that Joseph would never be mentioned again after Jesus’ childhood. Jesus, in caring for his mother, wanted to make sure she would be taken care of by a righteous man. At this point we do not get the impression that Jesus’ brothers were very righteous. So this is very sweet! Amidst all of the chaos of ministry and the pain of torture Jesus didn’t forget to care for those closest to him. He didn’t let rescuing the world take priority over his family. Perhaps at times you feel like no one cares about you? You may be a vulnerable person, such as a widow, or poor or an orphan, or just for whatever reason a lonely, desperate person. Take courage!!! Jesus has not forgotten about you! Yes, he controls the galaxies, making sure they stay on course, and yes, he governs the nations, but he is fully concentrated on your every need as well. He knows how many hairs are on your head. His thoughts towards you cannot be numbered – more than the grains of sand at the beach! There is nothing that will ever separate you from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

But I also see another potential thing happening here. John would care for the mother of Jesus, but perhaps also Mary would care for the disciples of Jesus? He says, “Woman, behold thy Son!” For Jesus’ whole life Mary was unsure and perhaps mystified about who her Son truly was. Even if she understood that he was the Son of God, how could she possibly fully grasp what this meant for her, the world and their future? Mary had the natural motherly impulse to care for her Son, but she also believed in him as her Lord. She was about to lose her Son and her Savior. In the book of Ruth, Naomi went into despair when she lost her husband and sons. Now, here’s Mary losing everything. If the disciples were nervous that their Messiah was dying when he was supposed to reign, imagine how Mary must have felt! I think Jesus was redirecting Mary’s attention to how she could continue to be his Mother after he left. She could now channel her love and passion into serving the body of Christ, which John represented. Mary would be an integral part of the early church. I’m sure she had many opportunities to talk about Jesus to his followers about the glories of his childhood and the early stages of his ministry from her point of view. I’m sure very few other people were smitten so deeply with the love of God when she remembered the crucifixion. 

  1. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)

It is completely understandable that this would come out of the mouth of Jesus on the cross. The dehydration levels were through the roof because of the massive amount of blood loss on top of the crazy amount of physical exertion he experienced beginning the night before. Psalm 22:15 speaks prophetically about this moment, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death” (Psalm 22:15). The thirst was not unique to Jesus among those who were crucified. What was significant about this scene is who it was that became so thirsty. Jesus was (and is) the Son of God. He knew glory, immeasurable and beyond comprehension. Yet we see him here so completely subjected to the frailties of humanity! Have you ever been so thirsty that you were begging for water? It is a very humiliating thing. Yet, because he loved us, he came to take on our humiliation so that we could be exalted. The Fountain of Living Waters became thirsty so that our spiritual thirst could be quenched. “O God, thou art My God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (Psalm 63:1). “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” (Augustine, Confessions). Our sins rob us of spiritual vitality, deservedly. God’s holiness is not compelled to nourish a sinful heart. There must be some kind of satisfaction of his justice before he opens the sluice of heavenly blessing. Praise God for the willingness of the only One who could unlock it! 

This is such a beautiful statement, as well, on the true nature of Christ. He was totally Human (minus a sinful nature) as is seen here is his thirst. Other places highlight the divinity of Christ, but this one reveals his full humanity. Jesus was conceived in the womb of a woman and had flesh, blood and bones just like we do. He was birthed and breathed the same air we breathe. He got tired, hungry and thirsty. He needed rest and refreshment like we do. The big difference is that he didn’t have to subject himself to these limitations, but he did. He could have stayed in heaven in absolute perfection and limitless satisfaction. He, as God, needed nothing, because he was the source of everything. God never has a Need. However, Jesus willingly laid aside that divine prerogative, so that he could identify with us, suffer and die for us. Now he lives eternally as the God-Man advocating for us as our perfect, compassionate High Priest. He says to you, “I know your thirst: your pain and agony, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Come to me and drink. I paid for it all.”

  1. “It is finished.” (John 19:30) 

No one else has had such a glorious death, ever. At best, the closest parallel that comes to mind is the picture of a war hero who achieves the final victory as they give up their life. Wherever that has happened, it was most likely not willingly, but of necessity. Either way, what is going on here? Why did Jesus say this on the cross at his last moment? It’s clear from the rest of Scripture the whole reason why Jesus came into the world, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus came into the world to give his life as a ransom – a payment for our sins. God’s prescribed way to atone (make amends) for sin is through the shedding of blood, or the giving of a life. “He that sinneth shall die.” “The wages of sin is death.” God demands a life for sins to be forgiven. Jesus – because his life is of great enough value – was able to present it as a sufficient ransom payment for the sins of the whole world. God was satisfied with his offering. 

Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).

He said, “It is finished.” What exactly was completed or accomplished? What work had to be done? It was the work of reconciling God and Man. The mission of redemption was being completed, right then and there. As soon as Jesus took his last breath and actually died, sin was PAID IN FULL! There is now nothing left undone in order to reconcile humanity back to God. There are NO works that we need to do in order to access God’s forgiving and saving grace. All we have to do is come and receive the benefits of Christ’s finished work! 

Some people say, “It’s all about being good. Be good and hopefully you’ll get in [to heaven].” Yet, this is not at all what the sacrifice of Christ teaches us. The crucifixion teaches us that our sin is ugly and that God hates it – detests it so much that he would deliver his own Son to a tortuous, humiliating death. If all we had to do was “be good” then Jesus died in vain. Why would he go through something so horrific if there was another way? Even Jesus prayed that if there was another way for redemption to be accomplished that it would happen, and because there was no other way he gladly submitted to the Father’s will. The only way to be forgiven and given eternal life is as a free gift from God through faith in Christ. And praise God that gift is available to whosoever will come!!!

What do you believe? How are you situated before God? Are you hoping that your goodness is good enough to gain eternal life? Are you really trusting yourself instead of Christ’s finished work? We either approach God seeking his favor based on our own merits or with no merits at all seeking mercy. We cannot have it both ways. I hope that today you will enjoy the rich pleasure of knowing your sins are forgiven and that your account is forever paid in full through what Jesus did for you!

  1. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). 

The final words of Christ before his last breath was a commitment of his life into the hands of God. The whole life of Jesus had always been dedicated and obedient to the Father, but his last moments were the most difficult and painful. He trusted his Father all the way through. 

This statement though, like Psalm 22, is also a quotation from the Old Testament, “Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: For thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth” (Psalm 31:4‭-‬). Jesus, again, is identifying himself with David, who was a truly righteous man, but was being persecuted by his people (unrighteous Israelites) and had God alone to depend on. 

I like the way Peter words this, “…who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). Jesus believed that no matter what mankind did to him it could not overpower the sovereign will and goodness of God. God’s will in an ultimate sense will always be done. God’s Justice will always be satisfied. He will right every wrong in his perfect time. Jesus laid down his life in perfect cooperation with and faith in the Father’s will. Peter was encouraging his readers to follow the example of Jesus. When God calls us to difficult circumstances or to serve difficult people, we must, like Jesus, remember to commit ourselves into the Father’s hands. We must strive to keep the faith and serve in love, knowing that even if mankind ridicules, mocks, or even persecutes us for doing what’s right, God will take notice and make sure to reward us for what we do. 

The writer to the Hebrews also touches on this, “…looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus was laid in the tomb, but he did not stay there! The Father justified Jesus within the space of three days by raising him from the dead! Also, the Church was born and prospered in the first century while Jerusalem was burned to the ground, Judaism destroyed and the Jews scattered around the world in exile! Jesus was most certainly justified. The admonition for us is to follow Jesus’ example. Commit your spirit, your soul, your body, your life, your time, to the Father, and regardless of what man does, God will reward you. We must walk by faith and not by sight. Believe that God is stronger than your worst enemies. 

Conclusion

“Thank you so much, Lord Jesus, for what you did on the cross. Our whole hope is bound up in you and what you did that day. Give us even deeper hearts of gratitude. Help us to always and only serve you out of a heart of love and gratitude and never be motivated by anything else! Grant us the courage and faith to follow your example: to love and serve a fallen world that may brutally hate us and persecute us. Teach us again the power of your cross- that dying is the way to truly Live. We love you. Be glorified today. May many be converted so that you can receive the reward for your sufferings. Amen.”

Works Won’t Work

/ Lee A. Robinson / 1 Comment

How do we gain favor with God? Many people think that we “earn” eternal life by being good, religious and charitable, but works won’t work. Come see what the Bible says will work . . . 

We intuitively know that God wants us to be good and do good. We know that God is good and glorious, so it naturally follows that if we’re to be welcomed into his presence (favorably) then we ought to be good and seek for his glory. This human focused tendency is manifested in every religion mankind has come up with. Though culturally religions vary widely, the core principle of the systems are the same: God requires us to do certain things in order to gain his favor. Roman Catholics must follow the sacraments to hopefully gain eternal life; Muslims must faithfully observe the 5 pillars to gain paradise; Jehovah’s Witnesses must witness and obey the watchtower; Hindus achieve liberation through respect to Karma, etc. It all comes down to being good and doing good. But what does Jesus and the Bible teach?

Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day (the day of judgment), Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto you, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22-23 It is clear from his teaching here that there are many people who are professing worshippers of God who will be rejected by him. They say, “Lord, Lord…” showing repetition. These are people known to be religious and are consistent in their practice. Not only so, but they even carry a spiritual power: they perform wonderful works. There are people who can do supernatural things and are capable of doing unusual levels of philanthropy and altruism that will be rejected by God. Their works won’t work. Jesus told us in this passage that the person who will enter the kingdom of heaven is “he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 What is God’s will? “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40 Everlasting life is not earned by religious or good things we do, but is rather a gift given to those who believe in Jesus, who trust in the work that HE has done on our behalf.

The apostle Paul made it abundantly clear when he said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 Eternal life is too precious to be purchased with our good deeds. It is and always will only be a gracious gift from God. Works won’t work, but faith will. Paul, in speaking about his own conversion wrote that God, “…saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” 2 Timothy 1:9 

He made this very plain in another passage as well, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-‬7 Favor with God is predicated on the fact that he has shown us mercy. In other words, we have all done wrong and need to be forgiven – this is the first step towards God. Criminals go to jail, not because of their lack of philanthropy, but because they have committed crimes. God has laws, and we have all broken those laws: do not lie, do not steal, honor your parents, etc. We deserve death and judgment from God. If we are attempting to argue our innocence before God’s throne on the basis of our good works, it won’t work. We don’t need a larger portfolio of charitable action, we need a changed heart. Our problem is internal. This is why the passage says that we needed “the washing of regeneration” and “renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Our lives are not naturally like spiritual soup kitchens that just need to feed more people. Rather, we are like abandoned, condemned sleaze motels that need to be torn down and rebuilt by God himself if we are to please him at all.    

Even if it were possible to work your way into heaven, no one’s work would be good enough. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 2:23 Do we really think that we could approach the God who made this universe and has continued to sustain it perfectly would be impressed with our accomplishments??? God rejects sinners who try to pay him off like he’s a corrupt judge. God is good and glorious. The way that pleases him is when we come to him humbly, with repentance, pleading for mercy, and receiving his wonderful gifts. Ultimately, it is set up this way so that he receives all of the glory. “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” Romans 3:27 There will be only one person receiving praise in heaven for all of the souls saved and welcomed in – and that is Jesus Christ! 

A simple note of reasoning to think about – If you could work your way into heaven, then why did Jesus need to die???

Good works are good. We should be abounding in good works and pure forms of worship. However, it is only good if it is done from a heart of gratitude and to earn nothing from God.

My Journey In Karate

/ Lee A. Robinson / Leave a comment

Over the past two and a half years my daughters and I have been training in karate (Okinawan Shorin Ru). Tonight is our black belt test – you can pray for us 🙂 Believe it or not in this quick time frame I’ve put in nearly 500 hours at the dojo plus additional time practicing on my own. As part of our test we were asked by our Sensei to write about our journey in karate and how the principles we have learned can be transferred into everyday life. So here is my attempt at that. The areas in which I have been impacted the greatest are: the value of routine & repetition, the necessity for humility and the impact of knowing oneself. 

#1 Routine & Repetition.

Routine.  

Every class in the dojo we follow a standard sequence from the very beginning to the very end: The students all line up facing the wall and wait until the leader of the class says, “What is self discipline?” We reply, “Doing the things I know I should do whether I want to or not.” Then the leader follows up with, “What are the three steps?” and we reply, “Focus your eyes. Focus your mind. Focus your body.” From there we bow and pay respect. We then go through the same exact warm-up/stretching routine followed up with running laps around the dojo (5 on 5). Then we take a quick water break. Then we split into small groups to practice the individual things we’re currently working on. Then we come back together if anyone needs to have a test or do a performance of some kind. Then we “play,” meaning we do some kind of group game. Then we all reconvene for the conclusion of the class, most of the time by reciting our school’s motto.  

Everything is very structured and rote. It reminds me of the order of service in a liturgical church – same structure, just different songs and scriptures. I know many people in the East do view their involvement in their dojo as worship, and I can see why. What is the value of rote routines and drills? The only way we can really grow is in concentrated, focused faithfulness over a particular thing over a long period of time. A healthy body has a consistent, unbroken breathing rhythm and regular sleep patterns. Our lives are structured for strength and discipline when our weeks, days, hours, and even minutes are filled with routine things. Routines are proven to help people be healthier and happier, especially in children. Knowing what comes next allows you to focus on what is now. I am a person who has a natural bend towards spontaneity, changing things up and being flexible. This is good at times, but I think having strong routines in life forces you to challenge yourself in a unique way. I appreciate how karate has helped me in this way.    

Repetition.

Another thought closely related is in repetition . . . In our time so far in karate we have only been taught a handful of strikes, kicks, and blocks and only about 20 drills and katas, but even then they are simply variations of the same basic strikes, kicks and blocks. How many times do you have to practice the same punch or the same kata to master it!? It is said that it generally takes 10,000 hours to truly master a skill. Even though we are testing for a black belt, by this measure it would still mean that I am only 5% down the road of mastering these skills. Haha. This makes sense, because I still feel like a novice when it comes to the punch, or the sidekick, or the katas.   

As I said before, I tend to be the kind of person who likes to do new things: I like to explore new areas of life, new places, try new foods, study new areas of knowledge, etc. I like to travel. I like to change things up. I tend to not prefer the status quo, but see how I can improve something – even if it doesn’t really need improvement. So to experience our karate program as a whole, with all of its monotony – and seemingly no desire to change it – is really impressive to me. What is the lesson? In order to become a master you have to focus on one thing and make it a lifelong pursuit. Whether it be the dojo, the church, the studio, the gym, the shop: you have to be there – every time you’re supposed to be, for the rest of your life. Many times it’s not the environment or program that needs to change, it’s me that needs to change. This change only happens through concentrated, detailed, faithful, repetitive application of oneself to a particular program. How many times do I face the same problems in life in regards to my relationships or bad habits before I get it right? How many times do I have to try to be patient with someone before I get it right? The answer is, “Probably many more times.” If you’re not willing to face the same problem over and over again and focus on handling it right until you master it, it’s not going to happen.  

#2 Humility 

I think most people tend to assume they know something well just because they learned it, but there is a huge difference between being taught a skill and mastering it. It takes humility to accept the fact that I am really not that good – at karate or at life. I’m thankful that we have Sensei’s who rebuke us and will tell us the hard truth. Many of Sensei Colton’s phrases sum it up well: “weak,” “terrible,” “That’s not going to do anything,” “spaghetti arms,” “you have the reflexes of a dead cat,” “I’m offended,” “I’m louder than all of you and I’m not even doing it.”

I am truly unimpressed with how quickly I run out of breath, or how quickly my legs buckle in a good kibadachi stance. 

Most of the time in the dojo we are facing a mirror. If you actually focus and watch yourself in the mirror you don’t look as flawless as you feel like you do when you’re not looking in the mirror. Most people don’t want to see themselves in a picture or listen to a recording of themselves given a speech. We tend to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.

In life we tend to think that just because we have heard the truth and understand it, that it means that we’re also practicing it. Jesus instructed us to love God and one another. Easy enough, right? Easy enough to understand, but how little do I actually practice this? If we have to go over the basics of simple stances and punches literally thousands of times, how much more – if we’re honest – do we have to go over much deeper issues of life, such as love, respect, forgiveness, generosity, kindness, etc. How often, if I could actually step back and watch myself live do I handle conversations and situations with love instead of selfishness, with grace instead of harshness, with joy instead of complaining, with hope instead of discouragement? I need to learn to be humble enough to accept the reality that I live in mediocrity most of the time. God is gracious and merciful and we must ultimately rest in his power to help us to be like him, but it starts with acknowledging that our weaknesses exist and that they still need attention. 

The Bible is our mirror for life. Christ is our mirror. This is why it is important to know the Scriptures well and be reminded of them regularly. If we live our life with spiritual blinders on we will think we are good, but if we constantly compare ourselves to Christ we will see how far short we fall of living up to the good standard we were created to live by.   

#3 Knowing Oneself

It’s funny – our style of karate is pretty basic as far as the system goes, but the way it manifests itself in every person is very different. Every person has a unique stance and posture. Every person has a unique struggle in the dojo – physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. It is really interesting to hear how different people kiai. If we truly go deep down and bring out our true roar with real passion and no embarrassment, the sound that will come out of each person will be very distinct. Most people in their everyday lives do not utter a deep shout out of themselves. Karate is good for this. I think most often we don’t realize what is inside of us until we are faced with some kind of crisis. Being trained regularly for a crisis I think can somewhat help with that. 

I remember one time trying to help a young, very quiet kid who had a visible sense of shame and lack of confidence. He would barely talk and when he did it was very quiet and he wouldn’t look you in the eye. The thought just came to me to take him outside by the woods and just ask him to yell as loud as he possibly could. He looked puzzled and ashamed to do so, but after some prodding he finally did it. He probably thought the whole situation was weird, but I could see something in his eyes – the real him – even for that split second – that I hadn’t usually seen. Karate on the surface is about self defense, but deeper down it is more about self awareness. I don’t know if I have found my deepest “kiai” yet, but even trying is liberating. 

Finding Oneself

Having spent the last few years in regular contact with Sensei Borbon in and out of the dojo, I see a man who has truly found his passion in life and his whole heart and life is in it. He truly believes in the program and is persuaded that it has the power to transform people’s lives, because it transformed his. He is not in it for the money, but is very generous and selfless in the whole enterprise. This is an encouragement to me to continue to press open my heart, see where my true passion is, to receive that calling (and be content with it) and live it with joy, so I become a blessing to everyone around me. For some reason I am attracted to so many different things throughout my life. I have been in pursuit to be a master or professional at many different things, but the reality is, that you can probably only be a master of one thing, or very few things. I think my generation as a whole struggles with identity issues. I am encouraged though to see in Sensei someone who knows who he is and what he is to do.   

It amazes me to see someone who has just a few verses from the Bible that stand as pillars upon which he strives to live. It is better to strive to truly live by a few, unchanging principles than to know hundreds and fully be faithful to none. It is a challenge to me to drill down in my life and find those basic life principles which I live by (or should live by) and to make them my life principles and to strive to conform to them as much as possible, and in the end to be a blessing to those people around me. 

The Journey Continues . . . 

There is much more that can be said about our journey in karate, but these things stand as the main things. Karate has been a great addition to my life and the life of my family. I am grateful for our dojo and Sensei’s, the honor given to Jesus and the Bible, the commitment to challenge and stretch the students, but also to meet them where they are. May the Lord be pleased to give each and every one of us the desire to grow in discovering oneself and putting in the effort to change ourselves to become a black belt in life and to be more like Christ – The Grand Master.  

The Grace of God You Need.

/ Lee A. Robinson / Leave a comment

The grace of God is multifaceted but we will just focus on one face. Simply put, God’s grace are gifts we receive from God: spiritual gifts that enable us to possess certain God-like qualities. For example, the ability to remain calm and unirritated in the face of difficult people and to respond with kindness and genuine compassion is a gift from God. This kind of response is not natural to any human heart. I don’t know if I need to spend much time trying to prove this, but it really is. Just think of how rare that type of response is among our fellow humans. A few people do naturally have higher levels of endurance, but are not our innate strengths gifts from God as well? Truly, any good character quality or action does not naturally arise from our human heart, but is a divine enablement: an undeserved gift from God. If we are to become more and more like God and effectively do his will, we need as many gifts as we possibly can get! The first step, of course – as always – is to realize and admit that we are in deep need of his grace. Secondly, we must earnestly seek for his grace moment by moment. 

Christian, you need the Gospel. Do you think you are okay today? Are you all set? In what ways, specifically, are you not like Jesus? Are you kind to every person you can come into contact with? Are you more focused on yourself instead of the needs of others – your wife, your kids, your neighbor or coworkers? Are you deeply concerned about those around you who don’t know Christ? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? How often do you cross paths with people and not give glory to God or preach his Gospel? Do you carry a spirit of gratitude and contentment or are you weighed down with depression, anxiety, complaints and murmuring? Are you self-disciplined in your appetites and activities? What is your singular focus in life – is it heavenly things or earthly things? Are you bitter towards anyone? Are you harboring resentment towards anyone or for something that happened in the past? Are you angry with God or in awe of him? Are you watching things on the internet you shouldn’t be? Do you have any besetting sin? How are you falling short of the glory and goodness of God? If you’re not sure about your weakness, then maybe your struggle is with pride? Ask the people that know you the best, “What is my weakness?”

When you first came to God for salvation you had nothing to offer him except your sin. Nothing has changed in this regard. You still have nothing of value to offer God to earn his favor except your repentance. Once you realize this just simply tell him how busted up you are. Name your sin and the gift that you need. “God, I don’t deserve it, but I need patience. I need love. I need boldness. I need a spiritual mindset. I need kindness. I need joy and contentment. I need the right priorities . . . and God, you are the only one who can give me these abilities, because Jesus died for my inadequacies so that those parts of me might die and only Jesus rose from the dead, being the only one able to create in me these fresh, beautiful, powerful, Godlike qualities.”

In asking for such precious gifts, you must ask for the right reason. James 4:3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” We’re not fooling God. He knows our true motivation. It must be pure. These gifts are not for our glory or pleasure, they are for the glory and pleasure of God, that his will would be done in the earth. Sure, when we do his will, most often we find ourselves with peace, contentment and joy, but our main desire must be that we please him and serve others well. So, when you begin to experience your relationships being handled in a supernaturally different way, verbally give God praise right then and there and then afterwards as many times as you have opportunity. When you achieve success through God’s grace in the areas that you failed repeatedly for years and years and years give God joyful praise and thanksgiving.

Thankfully, James also tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5).” No one is more ready and prepared to give you a gift than God. We can go to him boldly, as the scriptures say, in prayer. Any grace that you ask for is certainly praying according to the will of God, which gives us confidence that he will grant that request. What are you waiting for? Go now and receive from our heavenly father the good things you need to be more like him in the earth that you live in. 

Why did God set things up this way? Doesn’t it seem like a strange operation – we have to come to God to receive the ability to live in a way that is truly righteous? Why can’t we just do it on our own? Well, first of all, we can’t. It’s that simple. Furthermore, if we could, who would get the glory and praise? O, you know we definitely would take as much of it as possible! The reality is that there is only One Man who is worthy of it all – the Lord Jesus Christ. All things considered, is yucky when man receives high praise, because we all know that no man is an island, and every man has great faults that others don’t know about. However, it is soo fitting that Jesus receives all and the highest praise. He is the Almighty One (Heaven’s eternal adoration) who willingly and humbly left heaven in great condescension; who took off the garment of infinity and wrapped himself in restrictive human flesh; who suffered and died the most horrific, shameful, brutal, unrighteous, substitutionary death ever; who, by his own power and virtue, raised himself from the dead and was exalted back to the highest throne! What have we done that can even begin to compare?

May the Lord receive his fitting glory from you today. What an honor, that our sins would expose his generosity and power, which as a result we benefit from!!!

Friendship With God

/ Lee A. Robinson / 1 Comment

One of my go-to music albums over the past couple years is the soundtrack for the “David” show produced by Sight & Sound Theaters. They do an outstanding job at producing high quality music – especially for a company that’s not even specializing in producing music albums. One of my favorite songs on that album is “Creation Sings.” The song pictures creation “singing” praises to God by highlighting certain aspects of the beauty and majesty of that particular creation. What is the glory of the sea? – that it is deep and filled with life. What is the glory of the heavens? – it’s expanse. What is the glory of the mountains? – that they are built up to the sky. God himself takes light for his garment. At the climax of the song, the writer says, “So I will join the song as creation sings to you.” Well, what is the glory of man in the mind of this singer? – “…You call me your friend.” Creation is beautiful, glorious, majestic, powerful, awesome, etc. and as much as that is awesome, what is more awesome is that the God who made all of this calls us his friend. What a special thought!!!

Yes, God is our Creator, infusing each of us with uniqueness, purpose and meaning. God is our Father, guaranteeing us love, acceptance, provision, protection, guidance, etc. What is entailed in the fact that he is our friend?     

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:13-15).

What is different between the friend/friend relationship and the parent/child relationship? I think it’s mainly on the matter of “peerhood.” There isn’t a formal hierarchy amongst peers. People meet each other and decide to go deeper in a relationship because of a mutual desire. God didn’t have to make me. He didn’t get stuck with me. He didn’t have to save me. He doesn’t have to continue to call me and want to “hang out” with me. BUT HE DOES!!! He does willingly and cheerfully – and always will! Of course friends get upset and frustrated with one another, as I’m sure the Lord is with me often, but it doesn’t discourage him from coming back again. 

Friends tell each other secrets. They share their hearts with each other in a way that they might not even share with loving parents. Friends feel “safe” in that you’re not really accountable to them, and they are probably in a similar stage of life that you are. As if God couldn’t do something even more glorious, he reveals to us again how humble he is! He so wants to identify with us. Whatever you think of who God is, your thinking is too small and not impressed enough. The Creator and Sustainer of the Universe; the Lord of Heaven and Hell; the Ancient Father of Humanity; the King of all Authorities; the Eternal Sage – He wants to spend time with me, to make my issues his own. He grapples with my minuscule problems and cares like a fellow traveler (not because he doesn’t know the answers, or have the ability to just think the solution and it will happen, but because he knows that I need a friend to do it with me).   

Do you want God to be your friend? In the Scriptures above, Jesus said that we are his friends “if we do what he commands us to do.” His primary commandment is that we would repent of our sins and embrace him as our Savior and Lord. This is equivalent to us removing ourselves as the controller of our lives and replacing Christ as the Controller. In the same way that it is fitting for a novice to yield to the advice of a master, so it is fitting that we would yield control of our lives to the Master of all Life. Not only is it fitting, but it is obligatory. Refuse to surrender to Christ and you will not be his friend, but his enemy – a truly eternally cursed position to be in. Psalms 25:14, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” We must fear God, which means that we must acknowledge and respect his true nature, power and authority. When we do, not only will he forgive us and call us on to his team, but he will “reveal to us his secrets” like a friend would. What a glorious truth!   

Embracing True Beauty: A Father’s Reflection

/ Lee A. Robinson / 2 Comments

I am the privileged father of three beautiful girls, now becoming little women. I probably should have written this letter a long time ago, but later is better than never. Among other prayers, my prayer for you is that you would be earnest and thoughtful to develop your own convictions before God in every area of life: striving to please and glorify God in everything, for, “whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). I do hope that you would especially consider the heart and perspective of your parents, since it is God that made you our daughters for a reason, and knowing that our advice comes from a heart unmotivated apart from love and goodwill. So, I love you, and may this advice help you mature and be wise, ultimately leading you to happiness. 

I’m glad to say that without having really used make-up throughout your life each of you have been praised for being beautiful. The Lord did a stellar job (as he always does) at creating each of you distinctly beautiful in your own way. My first hope is that you would recognize that God is the greatest sculptor, and that any attempt to “improve” on his design for you would by default be a failing venture. As these beautiful lyrics explain, “As I look off into the distance, watching the sun roll on by- beautiful colors all around me, painted all over the sky. The same hands that created all of this – they created you and I. What a beautiful God” (Shawn MacDonald). If given the opportunity, would you attempt to paint a more magnificent sunset than the Lord? Would you try to establish a more glorious mountain than he has? No. We would be off somehow: too bold, too bright; not enough subtlety, not enough contrast, etc. The masterful artists simply imitate God’s handiwork well. So it is with you, God made you the very best version of you that you could be. So, believe in his handiwork. You may want to look different than you do, maybe more like some other women, but you will only be at best a 2nd rate imitation of them and lose yourself. God thinks you are the most beautiful just the way you are. 

I’m not yet talking about whether or not you should or shouldn’t wear make-up, or how to handle it if you do. I’m speaking directly to something much deeper. When you go to God in prayer, in the secret place, just you and God, you don’t need make-up or jewelry to feel attractive and to know that you’re loved. You don’t have to alter your appearance to please him. Isn’t that a wonderful truth, that he loves you just the way you are? I pray that this confidence, settledness of heart and peace of mind permeates your spirit, so that when you are in public you also wouldn’t feel compelled to be something more or something different than God made you. I know your mom and I love you with this same kind of love, and my prayer is that you would be surrounded by girl friends and boy friends who love the real you, not a superficial version of you. 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth [which is the correct way to see]; for man [the fleshly, worldly man] looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” Which leads me to my next thought…

The condition of your heart and the quality of your actions is where God defines true beauty, not on the appearance of your skin. “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion (wisdom, discernment)” (Proverbs 11:22). A strikingly beautiful woman (with or without makeup) with a bad attitude, a bitter spirit or immoral behavior is ugly to God and also ugly to godly people (the people you truly want to be attractive to). In your life right now, if you compare your desire to look outwardly pretty versus being inwardly beautiful, which one weighs heavier on your heart? In all the days you have ahead of you to continue growing up, meet people and go places, I pray that every day your priority would be to have a simple, clean, childlike, joyful and beautiful inside, and afterward be concerned about what needs attention on the outside. It seems to me that the more a woman is insecure in who she is, the more she will want the attention of man over God, which will inevitably lead to more reliance on her flesh in order to feel valuable. A woman who rests in God’s delight of her will have much less of an impulse to embellish her exterior. If she knows she’s already loved and accepted, why would she feel deeply compelled to use her body to try to get the attention of others?   

Every part of Scripture was written with a certain topic in mind. Passages specifically directed towards women often focus on appearance. Your appearance is a big deal to God, to you and to everyone. Think about the cosmetic sections of stores related to women and how little there is relating to men! Haha. So, consider with me a few of the passages directly related to the subject we’re speaking about . . . 

Paul, in giving specific instructions about how to behave in church gatherings, instructs women to “…adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety (respect, being appropriate) and moderation (restraint, avoiding extremes), not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing (flashy, expensive), but, which is appropriate for women professing godliness, with good works.” (1 Timothy 2:9-10). The emphasis for women is to focus on being clothed with good works rather than self attracting clothes or cosmetics. Of all things that could be given as instruction to women in worship, why this admonition? And why for the ladies and not the men? Well, we should first admit that if this is what God put as the challenge, then it must be what women need to hear the most. But then we just turn to experience, which agrees, that so many women – whatever the reason – are so compelled on Sunday morning to show up looking good (attractive). A woman that is strikingly attractive is powerful (yet not in a healthy way), much like a man simply with a lot of money or great influence. 

Let me take a little detour from this passage, but continue speaking directly to this natural temptation that every female faces… Men were created to be builders, hunters, warriors, so their manly instinct is to be pursuers. Women, on the other hand, were created to help a man in his pursuits, so her innate desire to be pursued. Her heart’s desire is to be found by a man. Boys love adventure stories and girls love the love stories. In addition to this, it just so happens that God placed inside of men eyes that really like the way that women look and put in women a deep desire to be looked at, or seen, noticed and pursued. Mix all a dat together and, yes, you got a solid recipe for a smoochie love story, but also for a cunning, devilish plan of temptation. Adam fell ultimately not because the food looked good, but because Eve looked better. He ate the fruit she offered to him. This fine tuned boy/girl romance of pursuer/pursued is mysterious, exciting, fulfilling and very, very dangerous. The reality is that you, my daughter, want to be seen. You need to be seen above all of the rest if one day you’ll be noticed by your prince. Wake up and realize that the Tempter is going to tempt you – with every tool he’s got – to do something ungodly to get this attention that you crave. There is a boy out there right now: God’s first choice for you. There are billions of other young ladies your age. How is he going to find you? With God nothing is impossible. God’s first choice will notice you when he is ready (not before and not after). He is looking for a girl that’s not looking for him, but looking for his God. The Holy Spirit will show him your sweet demeanor, submissive spirit, concealing clothing, and your real face that has the fingerprints of the Master sculptor on it. He won’t recognize you if you have on a worldy costume and a mask. If you unwittingly and unwisely yield to the temptation to attract men before it is time, or in a manner that God isn’t behind, you will attract someone – you’ll attract many actually – but they won’t be God’s first choice. 

Notice a couple places from Scripture that highlight how the ungodly woman uses appearance and cosmetics to attract ungodly men. The book of Proverbs warns young men to not fall into the trap of the strange woman, “Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids” (Proverbs 6:25 ). We can safely assume her “beauty” is not inward beauty or the natural beauty of her face, but rather the embellishment of her body with exotic cosmetics. There’s something she does with her eyelids that baits the simple man. The next chapter warns that she wears the clothes of a prostitute. What does a prostitute typically look like? A very short, tight skirt, high heels, boobs sticking out, thick red lipstick and makeup, an elaborate hairdo all presented with a provocative demeanor. Something like that. Try not to look like a prostitute as much as possible. 2 Kings 9 tells us the story of Jezebel’s death. Jehu was anointed by God to put away evil in Israel and to punish the wicked ruler Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Jezebel knew that Jehu was coming into the city to kill her and what power did she rely on to try to evade her doom? She put on makeup and fixed her hair! She was going to try to seduce him; to use her body to manipulate him into submitting to her, like she always did in her life. Don’t be like her… All of that to say that you are not above this temptation. It will be part of your path. Be aware of your fallen heart and the devil. You can overcome by God’s grace and his Holy Spirit, to be faithful and watch God bring you the right guy, at the right time in the right way.           

Back to the Timothy passage…

He said that women should dress in “modest” clothes. We use this word alot, but I want you to understand more deeply what the idea is, so think about this. One way to understand modesty is to be self-effacing, meaning “drawing attention away from yourself.” It also has the idea of being not excessive or expensive, so an appearance that is plain, simple or humble, some would even say homely. A modest home is one that is not very big or fancy, it’s nice but basic. There’s not really a “wow!” factor when people see it. Immodest dress is less cloth, more skin; it’s goal is to reveal rather than conceal what’s underneath. Modest clothing wants to hide what’s behind there. Modesty is sober, reserved and respectful. Think of a drunk, sloshy, disrespectful and flamboyant woman. Now think of how she is dressed. Now think of a dignified, chaste, serious woman intent on her business. What does she look like? Does all of this seem unfair? Doesn’t it somewhat feel like, “I guess God just wants me to wear a big brown paper bag and never look good!” If so, notice the tug of your heart and how looking good means a lot to you. Wearing a bag though would also be immodest. You can be balanced and simple and yet at the same time pretty. The point is that when people see you it should be your gracious spirit and your good works that are immediately noticed!     

Another related passage is in 1 Peter 3. Again, in giving specific instructions to women, Peter writes, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands” (1 Peter 3:3-5). What is truly precious to God? A lady with a gentle and quiet spirit, coupled with a submissive demeanor. This type of woman is actively trying to deflect attention, not be the center of it. She is there to serve. This is attractive to God. It is Christ-like. He came into the world quietly, concealed, to serve. Notice also he says that the hidden man of the heart is not corruptible (it doesn’t decay). Cosmetics are superficial. It’s not who you truly are. Your heart is who you truly are and no amount of mascara or blush can cover it up. I’m not saying that makeup is sinful. It can be if you are relying too much on it. But it’s just to make the point that, all things considered, it is completely superficial. It’s not really important when it comes to what defines you as a person.    

One more related Scripture. Read Proverbs 31 about the virtuous woman. The word “virtuous” in 31:10 means “strong or capable.” It is most often used to describe military force, as in “the host of the LORD.” The passage goes on to describe this wonderful woman: the ideal woman, we’ll say. The description is mostly about her works, some about her moral character, but basically nothing about her appearance, except to say metaphorically that “strength and honor are her clothing” (31:25). The passage ends by saying, “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain (fleeting, futile, empty): but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:30-31). Wisdom doesn’t rely on or prioritize fleeting beauty, instead she is focused on doing good and being good. So, in your life journey of deciding who you are, remember these principles. FOCUS on the heart: guard it, challenge it, wash it and fill it with God’s love for you.

It is true that we live in a world subjected to a curse. The earth bears thorns and the face produces pimples. Man was made to till the ground, to dress and to keep it. Creating, restoring and beautifying is a godly task. So, as a man landscapes his front yard and paints his house to the glory of God, it is a good thing that you would trim your hair and decorate your face to the glory of God. The goal of the carpenter and painter is to achieve natural beauty, restoring and only adding things that complement nature. Your goal (in my opinion) should be to use cosmetics to restore your appearance as much as possible to what God originally intended. I think of our cat Buster, how he is so exotic looking with that deep, sharp black coloring around his eyes. God didn’t make you a cat so don’t try to be like that. I also think about cultures like native tribes who heavily paint their bodies and hide their faces, who also worship animals and desire to have the traits of the animals they worship. We’re not animal worshippers. We worship the one true God who is a Spirit, and if our focus is on him we’ll want to “look” like him, which is purely a spiritual matter. Again, the real value in all of this is mainly on the emphasis. There is nothing inherently sinful about make-up/cosmetics. The earth is the LORD’s and its fullness. It’s what we do with it that matters. It may seem like from this letter that I am against it, but I’m not. I’m against the misuse of it, which I’m sure is going to be a temptation in your life. But I believe that if you internalize deeply what I wrote above and seek to put it into practice, the Holy Spirit and the grace of God will lead you into a balanced and healthy relationship with all cosmetics. I love you. May each of you continue to become more and more beautiful in the days ahead, and may the Lord give you the grace you need to use every self care tool for his glory.