Michelle Myers spoke on this at the She Works His Way Narrow conference, and I’ve seen it “trending” on social media. I love Jesus, but I… I love Jesus, but I gossip. I love Jesus, but I tell white lies. I love Jesus, but I… (plug in your sinful activity here).
I think the idea behind this is authenticity. As sinful creatures, we will struggle our entire lives, and we want others to know they are not alone. But… that little conjunction “but” carries a different meaning. (Excuse me while I geek out a bit on grammar.)
That conjunction “but” does two things in this context:
First, it tells me that what is coming does not reflect what was just said. Think about that for a minute. “I love Jesus, but I gossip” tells the listener that the speaker acknowledges that gossiping is not a reflection of loving Jesus, but it is, in fact, the opposite.
Second, it tells me that what is coming is MORE IMPORTANT than what was just said. “I love Jesus, but I gossip” means that gossiping has a higher priority than my love for Jesus. Let that sink in. My love for Jesus does not trump my desire to sin. Ouch!
As believers, we must be careful with our words. Instead of “I love Jesus, but I gossip,” we should be saying “I love Jesus, so I strive to stop gossiping.” The end should reflect the beginning. Our lives should reflect our love for Jesus. We can do this and still be authentic in our struggles.
Replace your “I love Jesus, but I…” with “I love Jesus, so I…”
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