“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”

The poet’s words from long ago ring true each dawn. It may be finches perching on the feeder; it might be pigeons cooing on some ledge; it could be sparrows clustered on an edge. But somehow, with the rising light, our spirits rise as we discover that God’s world is moving, warming, singing once again. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

Against the midnight of our fears, we hear the Lover of our souls: “Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. . . . So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matt 10:29, 31).

Grace sings because hope is embedded in our hearts. The God who formed us planted a great yearning for redemption deep within—a core belief that we may yet find joy and song by leaning forward to His day.

Step into light. Pick up the tune. God gave us hope: His name is Jesus.

And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

We are not alone . . .

Depending on how you see the universe, that thought could bring you comfort—or deep terror.

If you view everything beyond your fence as threat, as something to be feared, you’ll spend your days defending only what you already have and what you’ve previously learned.

But if, through grace, you can be open to a world where love and beauty grow and blossom, you will taste joy—the joy for which God made you. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isa 52:7).

Grace is a declaration that we have been befriended by the One who rules the universe. The greatest Other who ever was became one of us, one with us, one on our side. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus is the living proof that we are not alone, and never need be so again.

So stay in grace. -Bill Knott

The mystery is that grace still finds us, hidden well beneath the cellar stairs—angry, broken, sinful, sad.

When we’ve crawled into our painful cave to lick our wounds or plot revenge, we hear the footsteps on the stair. We hear the sound of Jesus’ gentle laughter: “You can stop being afraid now. All-y, all-y—yes—in free!”

The games are finally over. When grace comes seeking you, there’s no more need to hide. What’s wounded starts to heal. Your past all gets forgiven. The lonely all get friended.

Today, get found: step out into the light. Enjoy the life you’ve always sought.

And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

Nothing in all the world is as wonderful as a gift.

It may be the sunrise, wrapped in rose and gold, delivered to our eastern window.

It may be the stick-figure drawing by a three year-old that bears the ribbon, “I love you, Mommy.”

It may be the unexpected offer of the trip we’ve always dreamed of, to that place we sense has always been our home.

Gifts make us conscious of the love beyond ourselves—the deep, rich kindness in the heart of God.

“For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:22-24).

What but our foolish pride could keep us from enjoying God’s good gift? It’s not our worthiness that matters: it is His great, untiring love that moves Him to keep giving. “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done” (Eph 2:8-9).

So open up your hands, your heart. Receive the grace Christ offers.

And stay in it. -Bill Knott

As four-year olds, we squabble over things we say that we deserve—first down the slide; the largest piece of chocolate cake; the undivided attention of our parents.

At fourteen, we insist that we deserve at least what others have—a new smartphone; the latest gaming platform; a curfew later than our siblings.

By 44, we vie for corner offices; subordinates who do our bidding; a happiness we assume is ours by right or through hard work.

But in our hearts, we know the truth: we don’t want what our lives deserve. The litter of bad choices swirls through our hollow claims. The memories of mistakes everyone knows—and those nobody knows—belie our claims to honor and to fame.

The apostle Paul spoke truth for all of us: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t” (Rom 7:18).

And though God’s Word reveals unflattering truth about our real lives, it offers unexpectedly good news about what’s offered us. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).

Don’t claim what you deserve. Accept the grace you’re given.

And stay in it. -Bill Knott

Before we ever learn to speak or find some syllables of thought, we learn that how we’re loved depends on how we live.

As infants, we adapted to what brought us comfort and attention. As teens, we found affection best by mimicking what offered hope of friendship. And though we’ve grown in years and size, we still build contracts meant to bring us love. The world teaches us that love comes with conditions. 

Just here the gospel shines so bright: “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5).

God’s care for us is not proportionate to our good thoughts or choices. He doesn’t wait for our  best lives before He offers His embrace. “God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17).

And even when we get it wrong, His love won’t be deflected. We cannot earn what He so gladly gives. We cannot lose the love we never caused.

Now stay in grace. -Bill Knott

Every day beside the Jordan, can you hear the “hallelujahs”? Can you hear the joy of angels in their vast, euphoric choir as you give your life—again—to Jesus and walk down into the water?

Can you feel the hug of heaven as you leave your past behind you—leave your sins and all your merits, held by grace and grace alone?

Can you hear the words cascading: “This one’s Mine, My lovely child, of whom I’m so greatly proud”? Do you sense the great affection of the Father who will not be turned away by sin—in your past, your now, your future?

Ah, the washing, the renewing that restores a dry disciple! Spend some moments, washed and steadied, in the sand beside the river, hearing heaven’s affirmation of your choice to follow Jesus.

Jordan’s bank is sacred space. Come here often: stay in grace. – Bill Knott

Grace is rarely just a moment; more often, a long season; and ideally, your forever reality.

We focus on the moment when a person comes to faith in Christ as though that were the starting of the story: “I was saved at 6:14 p.m., on Sunday night, May 5.” But we at length discover how our eyes were truly opened—how the Spirit had been softening our hearts, erasing our old prejudices, and nudging us toward faith—all to bring about that moment of decision. All that God did was surely grace—before we ever came to “Yes!”

And starting points are never all the journey, important as they are. By staying in His grace, we find the power of Jesus to both save us and to change us—to take away the guilt-stained past, and keep us from much future foolishness and pain.

Grace working over time is just as fully undeserved—and unexpected—favor as that sweet moment when we welcomed Christ and all He gives. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

Grace is the word that best describes a forever friendship with Jesus.

So stay in it. -Bill Knott

We search for friends with whom to share the deepest joys we know. Our happiness is multiplied by those who join our gladness.

But friendship rests on more than witty fun or shared experience. We form a kind of covenant that pledges virtues we can’t naturally produce: “I’ll stay with you through hard times. I’ll hear you when you’re sad. I’ll walk with you in silence—when you need no extra words.”

These are the qualities of grace—a grace we only learn by witnessing the love that comes from God. Left to ourselves, our friendships would deteriorate, for pride and ego never last. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” (1 John 4:16). “If we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us” (1 John 4.11).

This giving generosity of God is what we know as grace. And when we share it with our peers, we watch relationships expand, grow deep, and anchor us in storms.

The friend who brings you joy is one more evidence of grace.

So stay in it. -Bill Knott

At least once a day, we want the truth about ourselves.

Whether it’s that first, unflattering glimpse of pajamas and tousled hair, or that last, nervous glance in the office washroom before the big job interview, we rely on mirrors to give us unflinchingly honest reflections of what we really look like. A mirror that doesn’t reflect reality evokes laughter at a carnival or praises some vain fairytale character.

God has a mirror too, and He offers it so we can learn the truth about our real condition. His law—an accurate description of His character and kingdom—shows us how unlike Him we are—the fearsome truth about our vanity; our greed; our hurtful attempts to control and use each other.

“No one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands,” the Bible tells us. “The law simply shows us how sinful we are” (Rom 3:20).

 “Oh, what a miserable person I am!” the apostle Paul exclaimed when he saw his own reflection. “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Rom 7:24).

Gratefully, Paul answered his own desperate question. “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Cor 5:21).

Grace is the way God sees us when we put our trust in Jesus. He reflects His Father’s image—and His law—perfectly.

You’re looking better already.

So stay in grace. -Bill Knott

Fear builds around us prisons only we can see. We peer out through the bars of damaged memories and foolish choices—walled in by concrete years of dark regrets. And we assume the sentence is for life.

But then one day there is a rattling at the door; keys open up a rusty lock. The cell in which we kept ourselves more rigidly than any jail is opened by a word of grace. “Your sins are forgiven you,” says the Lord who vowed to open every prison door.

The sentence is commuted, and yes, the record is expunged. “As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Ps 103:12).

We walk out in the light of grace—amazed at freedom we have never known, and breathing in the oxygen of hope. This is the genius of the gospel, and why this story always liberates.

Walk out of fear, but stay in grace. -Bill Knott