Britt Mooney

The Father’s abundant love is the root of his salvation. God’s saving work isn’t based on our worthiness but entirely upon his love. The same love which created all things compels him to restore what was broken.

Every culture has certain phrases, repeated like foundational truths. These statements call everyone to a common morality or standard. 

But what if they’re wrong? 

For instance, a former generation used to say, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Usually, parents say this to get their kids to clean their rooms. And while there’s value to the discipline of keeping things orderly, this statement can’t be found in the Bible. Nowhere in the authoritative written Word of God does it equate cleanliness with being like God. To place a common or cultural phrase with biblical wisdom carries a certain amount of danger, whether an unrealistic standard or even leading people into deception. 

Western culture has a number of such phrases, said with religious fervor, and we use these statements in conversation, counsel, movies, songs, and more. Yet the Bible expresses a different, contrary truth. And since the biblical truth leads us to Christ, who is life, we should correct our thinking and speech to align with what is good. 

Here are 7 things Jesus never said that we should stop saying.

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Jesus does not call His followers to stay still. This devotional from Matthew 28 reminds you that the same risen Savior who sent His disciples also sends you—with His Spirit, His peace, and His promise to be with you always.

Peter’s story reminds us that failure does not disqualify us from Jesus’ love. This devotional from John 21 invites you to receive Christ’s restoring grace, return to love, and follow Him with renewed purpose.

Our modern culture is obsessed with being happy. We see the roots of this in the Declaration of Independence, that we have unalienable rights to life and the pursuit of happiness, among others. Therefore, happiness becomes the reason we do many things. People get married and divorced based on their happiness. We take jobs or quit based on a happiness quotient. We choose places to live and other purchases based on what we think will make us happy. Most advertising uses this principle to get people to buy or commit to things. 

When talking about following God, a friend once told me, “I think God just wants us to be happy.” In context, she meant he’s cool with whatever we think will make us happy, no matter what anyone or the Bible might say. 

This brings up important questions regarding whether God wants us to be happy, or unhappy, and the definition of happiness itself.

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When we pray, most Christians close with, “in Jesus’ name, amen.” 

But what does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? God doesn’t want our prayers to become overly religious or mindless, repeating words without any meaning for us. The Lord disciples us, teaches us his ways as sons and daughters who will one day rule with him in the Kingdom. Prayer becomes a primary way he teaches us about himself and the ways of Heaven. 

Therefore, we should better understand why we pray in Jesus’ name. This brings us into deeper relationship with the Father, and gives us power in our prayers.

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People often get the idea that God is mad at them. We hear how God hates sin, and Jesus died for our sins to satisfy God’s wrath. Despite how much leaders and teachers emphasize God’s love, we are human, and we interpret biblical ideas like sin and judgment to mean God doesn’t like us, or he’s simply waiting for us to fail. 

Beyond the human aspect, our “flesh,” Satan gets involved. When we encounter truth, the Devil lies to twist it and accuse God and us, as he’s done from the beginning. The enemy will interpret God’s Word, or attempt to, if we allow it. Further, the world systems and philosophies take corrupt interpretations and deceptions and communicate them, too. 

The truth is, God deals with sin and corruption expressly because he loves us and likes us. He values us greatly. It does well for us to remember how he feels about us, truly, which encourages us all, leads us to life, and combats the lies of the enemy who seeks to destroy us. 

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“Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).

This is good news. We have all sinned and deserve judgment, objects of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Fortunately for us, God is great in mercy. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psalm 103:8). “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). 

How we need God’s mercy. Where we would show hate and punishment or vengeance, God acts mercifully. And he provides ways to repent and find even more grace and mercy. Because our own nature seeks retribution and justice, the Father’s divine mercy makes us uncomfortable. Maybe even skeptical. But God’s goal isn’t punishment, it is reconciliation. The Lord’s mercy becomes necessary for his redemptive justice, restoring us in right relationship. As Jesus followers, we should learn how to act mercifully to others as he has to us. 

Here are six powerful stories of mercy in the Bible.

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My mentor gave me this definition of faith: the perception and pursuit of the unseen heavenly realm. Faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9); without it, we couldn’t engage with God and have the revelation to hear and see him who is Spirit. While surrounded by things we see, the unseen made them (Hebrews 11:3) and is, therefore, more powerful.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). With faith, we engage actively with God, and our prayers and actions have real power. Hebrews 11 lists various men and women who did mighty and amazing things through faith, from Abraham to Rahab. We call that chapter the Hall of Faith.

How can we develop this kind of faith?

Here are seven prayer and Scripture habits to boost your faith this summer.

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Time to man up. When most people hear this, they may think of traditionally masculine things. Playing football. Fixing an engine.

There is nothing wrong with these activities. However, the biblical idea of manhood gives us different insights. Simply looking at people like David and Jesus throughout Scripture reveals not only what strong men do, but how they do it. Christian men have a deep, eternal motivation for life which brings passion to a man’s activities. 

The motivation does not only change the way their individual lives work. When they lead the way in church life, men encourage others to serve with humility and worship with abandon. Strong, godly men inspire children and families.

Here are seven things strong Christian men do differently.

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Only God is worthy of worship, and Scripture points us to him alone as the object of our lives. When we worship him, however, who is it for? We use terms like “bless the Lord” and “exalt him,” like our worship does something for him. Is worship for God or us?