Full Words
I can’t believe that it’s been 8 or so years ago now since Sarah Grace and her 3rd & 4th grade Upward Basketball teammates (now 11th and 12th graders) were asked to memorize Romans 10:9-13, as part of their weekly devotion time (and to earn a green star).
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, or, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13 NIV
In my mind, that was a lot for an 8 or 9 year old to learn, much less an 16 year old (or a 55 year old), but I was more than surprised when 7 of the 10 on the team actually memorized the passage.
And I was even more surprised to see Sarah Grace grow in confidence in sharing that passage... even to the point of sharing it in front of 60-70 people. That had not been part of her character... sharing in front of a group was not something that she had wanted to do or be a part of... not been something that she had enjoyed. Yet, there she was, first to raise her hand... first to share the verse that she had so proudly memorized. A verse that the more she said it, the more engrained it became upon her heart. And the more she is now able to go back to that verse again and again in life when she questions, when she wonders, when she feels alone.
In past GDAs, we have shared about “Empty Words”... about going through the motions... about not meaning what we say... about how what comes out of our mouth is an overflow of our heart... and how we should put our love (and our words) into action.
Over the 8 weeks or so that I heard SG and her teammates recite the Romans 10 passage, I came to realize how FULL those words were (and are). I have realized how much there is packed in that passage.
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” ~ FULL words indeed.
Words ~ Full of power. Full of grace. Full of mercy. Full of love. Words that lead to action.
Not merely empty words on a page... Not merely empty words said and not believed. But words filled with hope and truth.
Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem
