ADMIRATION OF OURSELVES

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) once noted, “When beginners become aware of their own fervor and diligence… this prosperity of theirs gives rise to secret pride… They conceive a certain satisfaction in the contemplation of their works… They condemn others in their heart when they see that they are not devout in their way.”

The early steps of spiritual growth often feel bright and exhilarating. We discover new disciplines, new insights, new rhythms of prayer, and it’s easy to mistake our progress for God’s presence. St. John of the Cross warns that even sincere devotion can quietly bend inward, becoming a subtle admiration of ourselves rather than a humble turning toward Christ.

Scripture echoes this danger: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”  (Philippians 2:3)

Humility is not thinking less of ourselves; it is thinking of ourselves less. It is remembering that every good impulse, every spiritual victory, every moment of clarity is grace received, not achievement earned. When we forget this, pride slips in through the side door. We begin to measure our devotion against others, forgetting that Christ alone is the standard -- and Christ alone is the source of our growth. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT?

“When you present grain as an offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of choice flour. You are to pour olive oil on it, sprinkle it with frankincense, and bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. The priest will scoop out a handful of the flour moistened with oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this representative portion on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”  (Leviticus 2:1-2 NLT)

Musical perfection does not exist. We were taught “practice makes perfect” --  that’s a lie. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t try though!

I didn’t know this in my college years. Our grades depended on “perfection.” We worked for applause. And so, when notes went wrong, even if the error was small, to me it was failure. That’s even tougher for a church musician. You get one shot, but end up reliving the mistake. I couldn’t even take a compliment, because I focused on the flaw. You know that’s pride, right?

It’s taken quite a few years to unlearn that. For me, practice is like gathering up the grain for an offering to the Lord. The more I practice, the more “choice grain” is chosen. I don’t hastily throw it in, just to fill it up. While the world only sees those magical five minutes, … hours, weeks, months have preceded. I want my basket to be filled with the BEST I can give. The work isn’t for people….. it’s for the Lord.

The gift I receive in return is that I no longer focus on the flaws because I KNOW He’s deemed it WORTHY. 

 -- Allie Sewell McGuire

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GRACE THAT STILL AMAZES

“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…”  (John Newton, 1772)

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”  (Galatians 5:1)

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a nation took its first breath. America’s story began with a longing for liberty -- a conviction that people should live free, speak free, worship free, and hope free. That longing ignited courage. That courage demanded sacrifice. And that sacrifice wrote the early chapters of our national story in blood.

Around the same time, on the other side of the ocean, another kind of freedom was being born -- not in a nation, but in a soul. John Newton, once a slave trader, encountered the transforming mercy of Christ. His life was turned upside down by grace so powerful it broke chains no government could touch. Out of that encounter came a hymn that has outlived empires, comforted generations, and become a soundtrack for redemption: “Amazing grace! how sweet the sound…”

As America celebrates 250 years, it’s striking to remember that both our national freedom and Newton’s hymn emerged in the same era -- one declaring political liberty, the other proclaiming spiritual liberty. One was secured by the blood of patriots. The other was secured by the blood of Christ. Both freedoms matter. Both freedoms cost something. But only one freedom lasts forever.

The founders fought for a nation where people could live unshackled from tyranny. Jesus died for a Kingdom where people could live unshackled from sin. The Revolution opened the door to earthly liberty. The Cross opened the door to eternal liberty.

Newton’s hymn reminds us that the deepest freedom is not found in documents, declarations, or anniversaries -- but in God’s grace. Grace that rescues. Grace that restores. Grace that rewrites stories. Grace that still amazes.

So as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we give thanks for the gift of living in a land shaped by courage. And we give even greater thanks for the grace that shapes our souls -- the grace that found us, saved us, and set us free. 

Lord, thank You for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. And thank You for the grace that gives us a freedom in Christ that no nation can grant and no enemy can steal. As America marks 250 years, we pray that grace -- not fear, anger, or division – would define how we live. Help us live as people amazed by grace and committed to sharing it. Amen. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

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PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVES

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”  (Psalm 119:105 NLT)

“Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it!”  (President John Adams, 1735-1826, in a letter to Abigail Adams, April 26, 1777)

"It is essential, my son, in order that you may go through life with comfort to yourself, and usefulness to your fellow-creatures, that you should form and adopt certain rules or principles, for the government of your own conduct and temper… It is in the Bible, you must learn them, and from the Bible how to practice them.  Those duties are to God, to your fellow-creatures, and to your self."   (President John Adams, writing to his son, John Quincy Adams, who at that time was Ambassador to Russia)

“So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident am I that they will prove useful citizens to their country.”  (President John Quincy Adams, 1767-1848)

“This great Book is the best gift God has given to man. But for it, we could not know right from wrong.”  (President Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865)

“Every thinking man, when he thinks, realizes that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally -- I do not mean figuratively, but literally -- impossible for us to figure what that loss would be if these teachings were removed. We would lose all the standards by which we now judge both public and private morals; all the standards towards which we, with more or less resolution, strive to raise ourselves.”   (President Theodore Roosevelt, 1858-1919)

“People in the New Testament church came to Paul and asked him what things they could depend on if they changed their way of living and adopted the Christian faith that he espoused. He replied, "We look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). The things we cannot see are paramount, and do not change -- those about which Jesus taught. Can we see truth, justice, forgiveness, or love? I have tried to remember this verse during some of the more trying times of my own life.”  (President Jimmy Carter, 1924–2024)

“Within the covers of the Bible are all the answers for all the problems men face. The Bible can touch hearts, order minds and refresh souls.”   (President Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004)

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THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

“You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.” (Ephesians 2:8 NCV)

This is the gift that God gives. A grace that grants us first the power to receive love and then the power to give it. A grace that changes us, shapes us, and leads us to a life that is eternally altered. Do you know this grace? Do you trust this grace? If not, you can. All God wants from us is faith. Put your faith in God. 

And grow in grace. More verb than noun, more present tense than past tense, grace didn’t just happen; it happens. Grace happens here.

The same work God did through Christ long ago on the cross is the work God does through Christ right now in you.

Let Him do the work. Let grace trump your arrest record, critics, and guilty conscience. See yourself for what you are -- God’s personal remodeling project. Not a world to yourself but a work in His hands. No longer defined by failures but refined by them. Trusting less in what you DO and more in what Christ DID. Grace-less less, grace-shaped more. Convinced down deep in the substrata of your soul that God is just warming up in this overture of life, that hope has its seasons and death has its due date.

Grace. Let it, let Him, so seep into the crusty cracks of your life that everything softens. Then let it, let Him bubble to the surface, like a spring in the Sahara, in words of kindness and deeds of generosity. God will change you, my friend. You are a trophy of His kindness, a partaker of His mission…

This happens when grace happens. May it happen in you. 

-- Max Lucado in “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine”

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