Reformation 500 - The Anniversary of Martin Luther's 95 Thesis

To reform something is "to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses." (Websters dictionary) October 31, 1517 is the day remembered when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis - or reforms - to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. His desire for discussion and change of a few major issues in the Roman Catholic Church sparked a "fire" across Europe, and now the world, that has led many to faith in Christ alone. 

Today marks the 500th anniversary of that event. As I was reading this morning and thinking about what it means to us now; the song Boldly I Approach by Rend Collective came to my mind. We now have access to God's Word, the Bible, in a way unheard of ever before in history! We can approach God, through the Bible or prayer, on our own. We don't need anyone else to do it for us. Jesus broke those barriers when He died on the cross and rose again to life! I'm so grateful for the continued love Jesus has for us, His people. 

May we, today, remember the cost Christ paid so that we don't (because we can't) have to earn our way to salvation. God is the only one who "made an end to all our sin," as the song below states. I am so thankful to be Rescued from my sin and made righteous before God because of Jesus! 

Romans 4:25-5:6 "He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly." 

Sola Gratia! by Grace Alone! 

Nothing to Prove

There are days I've spent worrying and wondering if I have "done enough" homemaking or "been enough" of a friend, or "lived good enough" for Jesus to use me. And I always feel empty at the end of those days. I know you have felt this way too. All of us do. It's part of the curse that was brought on when sin entered the world. It is a hopeless way to live, always striving. Always wondering if you are enough. Deep in my soul, I know I'm not enough. I am a sinner and before I knew Jesus, even my "good deeds" were as filthy rags. (Is. 64:6) But God has given me a way to be enough! (Titus 3:5) Because of Jesus, I am enough through Him. He has paid for my sins (Rom. 5:8) and I have accepted His work on my behalf. Now, I can live free from the need to prove myself worthy because He alone is worthy and has given me His righteousness. (1 Cor. 1:30) The works I do now are His works in me and I desire to do them, not to prove anything, but to show others how great God is! (Rom. 1:1-6)

Even though I know the truth, I need to be reminded of it often. I do this mostly by filling my life with God's Word, the Bible, and good words written by people who love Him. Jennie Allen is one of those people. She loves the Lord, fiercely and unashamedly. Her desires are to make God known to this generation that we will see how truly wonderful God is. Jennie lives this out in her everyday life, but she also writes books and she just released a new book titled, "Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard."

I have read all of Jennie Allen's books and "Nothing to Prove" is my favorite and made the biggest change in my everyday life. Striving, it's something we all do. Wanting to prove to others or ourselves, or even to God, that we are enough for this life. In this book, Jennie shares her story of striving and breaks down the areas in life where we all strive and she points us to a better way: Jesus.

Through various passages in the gospel of John, Jennie shows how Jesus is enough for everyone and we are enough because of his love and in spite of our sin. He saved us on the cross and now we don't have to live thirsty, lonely, tired, passive, afraid, ashamed, or empty lives! Because of this book and Jennie's courage to share her struggle, I have renewed hope and trust in Jesus that He is enough for me.

After reading this book, I want to read my Bible and know God more. It is geared toward women but people of all ages will benefit from reading. Each chapter from section two has applications at the end to help you use what you just read in your actual life right now. Encouragement and conviction flow through this book. The book itself isn't life changing, but the God it points us to is.

I needed this book, and I suspect you do too.


Jennie Allen will be doing a book club through her Facebook live starting February 21st if you want to follow along.

I was given an advanced copy of the book as part of the Launch Team but I would be recommending this book to anyone and everyone anyway. The link below is an affiliate link if you wish to buy the book directly from this post.