My Happy Confession of Having No Merit

A post that Dennis sent me from John Piper's blog.

This is my confession:

I was born into a believing family through no merit of my own at all.

I was given a mind to think and a heart to feel through no merit of my own at all.

I was brought into the hearing of the gospel through no merit of my own at all.

My rebellion was subdued, my hardness removed, my blindness overcome, and my deadness awakened through no merit of my own at all.

Thus I became a believer in Christ through no merit of my own at all.

And so I am an heir of God with Christ through no merit of my own at all.

Now when I put forward effort to please the Lord who bought me, this is to me no merit at all, because

...it is not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

...God is working in me that which is pleasing in his sight. (Hebrews 13:21)

...he fulfills every resolve for good by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

And therefore there is no ground for boasting in myself, but only in God’s mighty grace.

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

girls and curls

this post is dedicated to those girls at the gym who always look cute.  i don't understand you.  do you try on different gym outfits before coming?  is there a purpose behind those spandex you're sporting underneath your short shorts or is it style?  does your hair not go back into a messy ponytail and headband because you have so much product on those bouncy curls or do you just not want to mess it up because it took you two hours to do this morning and your boyfriend is working out with you?  i look at your cute, skimpy outfits and wonder how comfortable that can be.  not to mention your fancy earrings you 'forgot' to take off before class and that fake tan you've been working on. i guess us practical girls will just never understand. but we will sweat, and we will shower, and we will leave with wet hair and no makeup on, and we will feel good about giving it our all in there.