| Buts Matter - article by Joel Hempel You may have heard it said or read that what follows the word but is often more important than what preceded it. Those are the buts I’m talking about: The buts of Scripture and the promises that follow after them. The bigger the but, the better. And no but is bigger than the one found in Ephesians 2:1-6. Although Paul was writing to the church in Ephesus, he could have been writing to all of us. In the first three verses, he says we were hopelessly entangled in sin and spiritually lost. But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us . . . made us alive together with Christ . . . (verses 4-5). That’s the universal but (see 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ). That’s what God’s love did for everyone, even though most people don’t recognize it or outright reject it. If by some chance you are one of those people, I appeal to you by the mercies of God to let go of your resistance and receive God’s grace and forgiveness (see John 3:16-17), For all the rest of us who have already been empowered by God’s love to receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, what is your personal but? What is the story of brokenness in your life that precedes the but, and more importantly, what follows the but? We shouldn’t embellish our story, but we should not hold back. A Christian’s testimony does not have to be a Hollywood blockbuster. It does not need to be as dramatic as St. Paul’s (see Galatians 1:13-16). It only needs to include honesty, vulnerability, and a BIG but: JESUS, who he is to you, what he did for you, and how he turned your life around. One more thing about our faith stories. They are still being written. However bad you may be having it now, or however bad you will be having it in the future, our merciful Father will always provide a but. ALWAYS! And those bad times, as well as that but, will become part of your faith story. Here are a few go-to buts from God we can trust: In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8). God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). | 
