On Easter weekend, we will be launching a 6 week series called ‘But God…’  I’ve been looking forward to this series since last summer.  We’ll be exploring various places in Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) where the phrase ‘but God’ appears.  For instance…

Ephesians 2:3-5:  ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

The ‘But God’ changes everything.  Without God, we’d still be lost and separated from God because of our sin.  Without God, there would be no rescue, no salvation, no mercy, and no grace.

The ‘But God’ lifts up God Himself.  It elevates Him and His goodness, His sovereignty, His power, and His majesty.  The ‘But God…’ doesn’t always mean the story ends perfectly with rainbows.  It does mean that no matter what, God is still God, and we trust and love Him.  The ‘But God…’ reminds us that God is at work, and because of that truth, there is always hope.

What is your ‘But God…’ story?  Throughout the series, I’d love to share ‘But God…’ stories from Crosspointers.  Not to make much of us, but to make much of God.  Because God, not us, is the One who gets the glory, honor, and praise.  Maybe your story sounds something like this…

• I once was lost, but God…
• I was running and straying, but God…
• We thought our marriage was over, but God…
• I thought I’d always be addicted, but God…
• I figured you had to be flawless to follow Jesus, but God…
• I assumed that the abuse and hurt would always be my identity, but God…
• I figured my ways were better than His, but God…
• My spouse died, but God…
• Our child was rebelling, but God…
• I thought I could never tell someone about Jesus, but God…
• I thought God only saved those who were ‘good’, but God…
• We wondered if we’d ever have kids, but God…
• I thought our friendship would never be restored, but God…
• We had a comfortable life, but God…
• I’d never seen or experienced grace, but God…
• I once trusted in money, but God…
• The doctor said it didn’t look good, but God…
• I thought I could never tell my spouse, but God…
• We had our plans for the future, but God…
• My spouse was always resistant toward Christianity, but God…
• I felt alone and isolated, but God…
• I never found healing from the disease, but God…
• I thought I could hang onto that sin and still follow Jesus, but God…
• My upbringing was rough to say the least, but God…
• I never really knew what it meant to be loved, but God…
• I had really blown it, but God…
• In that situation, I felt completely helpless, but God…
• I wasn’t sure if I’d ever recover, but God…
• It seemed impossible, but God…

What is your ‘But God…’ story?

If you desire, we’ll keep the stories confidential, because I realize some of these hit very close to home.  But, don’t keep private the work God has done.  Share it.  Give Him the credit.  Allow God to use your story to encourage, challenge, and give hope to others.  You can email your story to me at dave@crosspointcc.org.

The ‘But God…’ changes everything.

Psalm 115:1:  Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.