Your List Won’t Save You

When Sin Overtakes

It happens before we know it—one moment we’re walking in faith, and the next we’re flat on our face, overtaken by something we never saw coming. Sin doesn’t always knock; sometimes it ambushes. And when it does, the Spirit-filled response isn’t condemnation—it’s restoration. Like setting a broken bone, healing takes gentleness, patience, and proximity. We aren’t called to be spiritual bounty hunters, dragging others into shame. We’re called to be first responders, restoring with grace, bearing burdens, and watching our own hearts closely in the process.

Sin is never an excuse for spiritual superiority. Paul warns that pride can sneak in, even in the name of helping. But Jesus calls His people to a different way—to carry each other’s weight without assuming we’re above it. When someone is caught in sin, the church’s role is not to whisper, judge, or ignore—it’s to step in with gentleness and help them up.

You’re Not Your List

We live in a world that measures worth by output. From grades to portfolios, daily step counts to curated Instagram posts, we’re trained to measure ourselves by our lists. But when our identity is wrapped up in what we do, we start to confuse accomplishment with righteousness.

There’s nothing wrong with organization. Make your list, check your boxes—but don’t crown your list as Lord. There is no spreadsheet that earns you God’s favor. No to-do list that secures eternal life. No performance that wins more love from the Father. Our worth isn’t in what we’ve done, but in what Christ has done for us.

Paul pushes back hard on the idea that religious appearances or outward rule-keeping can make us right with God. That path leads to either pride or despair. True life comes when we stop trying to prove our value and start trusting in the One who already declared it.

Give Like You're Free

Freedom in Christ isn’t a license to coast—it’s a launchpad for generosity. Paul challenges us to reinvest our time, energy, and resources into kingdom work. Not out of guilt. Not because we’re trying to earn anything. But because when we’ve experienced the radical grace of God, we can’t help but turn outward.

It’s a spiritual law: what you sow, you reap. If you plant seeds of selfishness, don’t be surprised when the harvest is empty. But if you sow generously—into people, into community, into mission—the fruit is eternal. Don’t grow weary in doing good. Even when it feels thankless. Even when no one notices. The harvest is coming.

Boast in the Cross

At the center of it all is the cross. Not a gold-plated ornament, but a brutal, shameful, life-giving instrument of death. Paul says if we’re going to boast, let it be in that. Not in success, not in spiritual discipline, not in appearances or achievements. Just the cross.

Why? Because everything else dies. Outward religion can’t save. Secular solutions can’t satisfy. But in the cross, we are made new. Not better versions of ourselves—brand new creations. When you belong to Jesus, the world’s values stop dictating your identity. You don’t need applause. You don’t need to hustle for belonging. You have been crucified with Christ, and now, He lives in you.

So go ahead—throw out the checklist. Not because lists are bad, but because they can never define you. Let grace do that. Let the Spirit lead. Let your life be marked by burden-bearing, generosity, humility, and above all, a joyful obsession with the cross.

— Daniel mackey

Youth Pastor - [Multiply]Family of Churches