In 2 Corinthians 3:6, it says that "our sufficiency is from God,  who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  The above verse has deeply resonated with me for a while. I really love those words, because they convey the message that the new covenant under Christ gives us a renewed sense of life and purpose. However, focusing too closely on overwhelming rules and regulations can have the opposite effect upon one’s mind and heart. In a way, legalism “kills”.  The greatest commandment, on which all others depend, is to love God and love people (Matthew 22).  These scriptures  serve as a reminder that a relationship with Jesus is not about oppressive rules but rather about loving God and other people.

When I read about out the stoning of the apostle Stephen in scripture,  It fills me with emotion as I empathize with him in his pain. Imagine taking a stand for Christ even in the face of death, and as death becomes certain, having your resolve harden even further. In his final moments, as his blood poured and bruises formed, Stephen still had love for the people he was preaching to. I can only pray that I would have similar love and resolve in the face of violent death as Stephen did.

As I do with a lot of FMD songs, I made an attempt to capture the raw emotion contained within this song's inspired scripture. In Judges 11:30-39, a mighty warrior makes an unnecessary oath with God that he will sacrifice the first things he sees upon arriving home from battle if God were to grant him a military victory. Sadly, he sees his daughter upon arriving home, and holds himself to a pact he made with God -- one that God surely would have rather him not carried out.

It raises some important spiritual and philosophical questions...including, why did Jephthah feel the need to make the pact with God to ensure his battlefield victory? He was a man of faith, but perhaps that particular battle on that fateful day seemed so overwhelming that he felt his faith wouldn't be sufficient to guarantee victory. He felt he had to offer God a little something extra to obtain His holy blessing, which was something God never required him to do.

How often do we do the same thing? Sometimes, when the odds are against me, I feel like I have to offer God something He doesn't even need in order to have a good outcome. Maybe an extra "good" work or two? However, God doesn't need me to make such an offering, when he has already been beside me and proven himself to me time after time.