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Dannah Gresh penned a powerful book titled, And the Bride Wore White. Now, 25 years later, she’s updated and revised that book. On this Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, Dannah talks about the rise and fall of purity culture. With vulnerability about her own mistakes, Dannah encourages women to live with sexual integrity no matter their past. Don’t miss Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman.

Featured resource: And the Bride Wore White

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Read: Romans 3:10-12; 5:6-8

“Cade,” Mom said, coming into Cade’s room, “do you know where Ducky is?”

Finley, Cade’s little sister, was wailing in the hallway. “Cade took him. I know he did!”

“I don’t know where that dumb duck is, but I hope it’s gone forever!” Cade said. Ducky was a stuffed toy, and although the little duck was worn and ragged, Finley loved it dearly. She didn’t care that its fluff was all rubbed off and it was limp and faded. But Cade thought it was awful. He called it the Ugly Duckling.

“Well then, come out here and help look for Ducky,” Mom said, and the search was on. They looked everywhere—in the basement, under the furniture, even in the garbage can—but Ducky was nowhere to be found.

The next day, Mom had a talk with Cade. “Have you noticed that Finley is still very unhappy over losing Ducky?” she asked.

Cade rolled his eyes. “Why would she feel so bad about that thing? It looks like it’s made of old rags and sawdust. How can anybody love anything so ugly?”

Mom smiled. “Actually, Finley’s love for the Ugly Duckling, as you call him, reminds me of God’s love for us. He loves us even though we’re ugly ducklings, in a way—we’re all ugly sinners. For example, some of us tell lies.”

Mom looked intently at Cade, and his face turned red. “I—I lied,” he admitted. “I hid Ducky. He’s on the top shelf in my closet.”

“I saw him there when I was putting away laundry,” Mom said. “How do you think God feels about that?”

“I guess I never thought about how He feels—or thought of myself as an ugly duckling.” Cade hesitated.

“Do you think God loves me anyway? Like Finley loves the Ugly—I mean, like Finley loves Ducky?”

“He loves you much more than that,” Mom assured him. “He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to take the punishment for your sins. He wants to cleanse you and make you His child. Would you like to ask Him to do that?”

Cade nodded. “I don’t want to be an ugly duckling anymore.”

–Harry C. Trover

How about you? Do you realize that, in God’s sight, you’re like an ugly duckling? The Bible says everyone—including you—has sinned by doing wrong things, and sin is ugly. But God loves you in spite of your sin. He loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you. You don’t have to be an ugly duckling any longer. Trust Jesus as your Savior, and He will make you clean and new. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus died for sinners

"My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).

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As I visited a patient in the hospital, I was struck by the actions of a young doctor standing with a team of other inexperienced physicians. The group listened as a more seasoned doctor explained about the patient’s health. Suddenly, the patient anxiously announced that she needed to use the bathroom and couldn’t get up. In fact, she couldn’t wait for a nurse’s aide to be summoned to the room.

Amid the frantic scene, the young doctor got a bed pan off the shelf and assisted the patient. When the nurse’s aide arrived, she was shocked to find someone had already assisted the patient. The lead physician proudly acknowledged the assistance of the young doctor.

Jesus didn’t cling to His divinity and refuse to assist humanity. Though He was “in very nature God, [He] did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage” (Philippians 2:6). As a human, Christ was able to become our sin offering and sacrifice Himself for us. He saw our need for help and salvation, and He humbly laid down His life (v. 8). Paul wrote, “He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (v. 7).

We’re called to imitate Jesus’ attitude and sacrificial ways in our relationships with others. As He helps us, let’s humbly serve them no matter how lowly the job may seem.

We are told clearly in Scripture that God owns everything, and we are merely stewards of what He has entrusted to us for a season. Part of good stewardship is knowing when you have enough. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Cody Hobelmann discuss how you can establish your first financial finish line. Then, it’s your questions. That’s Faith & Finance Live—where biblical wisdom meets today’s financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

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It’s Mailbag Friday! You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.

Segment 1

• When preaching expositionally, Is it normal for a pastor to spend 5 years in a book (John) and only get to chapter 11? – Luke

Segment 2

• What are your thoughts on American flags in a church sanctuary? – Peter

• Our church has two deaconesses. One is over the children’s ministry, which includes the nursery, and the other is over the women’s ministry. Is this biblical? – Karen

• When I’m staying in a hotel, and I find a Book of Mormon in the bedside drawer, would it be wrong for me to take it with me to throw away? – Josh

• Are dead people able to interact with the living? – Cary

Segment 3

• Recently, I went through the Christian music I listen to and, in digging deeper, found a shocking number of them were actually from a Mormon background! The songs sound like normal Christian lyrics to me… Is there anything I should be looking out for? Or should I not be listening to them at all? – Joyce

• I was baptized in a solid Baptist church at 19 after growing up in a Christian home and making a conscious choice of obedience. A year later, I made the emotional decision to get back with my non-Christian boyfriend (who is now my husband). I later “rededicated” my life to Jesus at 30 and haven’t looked back! I’ve been wondering if I need to get rebaptized or if my current surrendered life is just evidence of how God has been faithful to me. – Anonymous

• You always say to stare at Jesus with unveiled face. How do we do this? – Anonymous

Segment 4

• Is it ok for a young adult to ask for advice from a non-believing parent? If their advice doesn’t clearly contradict scripture, is it wise to follow their advice even if they don’t necessarily have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them? – Anonymous

• I just saw a video of youth pastors having a dance off! And they were cutting all kinds of rugs. Wondering what your reaction would be? – Brad

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The 7th commandment — you shall not commit adultery — is one of the most countercultural truths in all of Scripture. In this message from Deuteronomy 22:13–30, Dr. John works through six civil laws in ancient Israel that flow from this command, addressing everything from virginity at marriage to sexual violence, and makes a compelling case for why God's standard of sexual faithfulness is not primitive or outdated — but a reflection of just how seriously he takes the gift he created.

The Law and Holy Living: The laws of ancient Israel can feel distant and irrelevant to modern readers — but look closer, and you'll find they reveal something timeless about the character of God. In this series on Deuteronomy 18–26, Dr. John works through the detailed national laws given to Israel, uncovering what they teach us about justice, worship, and holy living — and pointing us to the one who came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "God and Science." Enjoy!