resolutions continued
I know I wrote a few weeks ago about my New Year's Resolutions. Now, I like resolutions because it's just a new start to a new year. I love fresh starts. That is one thing I love so much about God is that He is the Lord of fresh starts!
I failed to mention in my NYR that my biggest resolution, which is the same year after year, is to look more Christ like this year than last. Not physically - the beard isn't my thing. But inside. I want to rely on Him more in the every day. I want to be desperate for Him every day. I want have more patience, love more (without borders!), be more joyful (which is part of my counting my blessings in the Joy Dare).
Those are really hard resolutions. I've been working on that patience thing for...the good part of a decade. Yet I won't give up. Because I know that God will transform me "by the renewing of [my] mind" by the Spirit challenging me. A friend said "if you're tired of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, I've got good news. We can fall on our knees and say "God I cannot change apart from you but change through the Spirit? That's an inherent part of the Christian walk" (that's not 100% word for word but like 98%).
That's true! I have tried to be more patient on my own. Funny thing is, I end up more impatient. When I have tried to be a "good" person on my own, I fall flat on my face. I don't want to just change outward things (although sometimes those outward things need to change too) but inward things, the important things: I want more fruit of the Spirit in my life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, faithfulness).
And you can have those same new beginnings! If Saul can change through God into Paul, then you can change from where you are to a holy, sanctified child of God through the blood of Christ.
Lord, I recognize today that I can't change apart from you; none of us can. Help me change every day to be more like You. Let my readers see that You are the only way of salvation; that they cannot change on their own. Self-reliance is temporary and artificial; only You bring about real change!
Thank You for loving me enough to help me change as much as I have. I am not the same person I was a year ago or six years ago or eight years ago when I began to follow You. Thank You! I have done that through nothing of my own strength but all through Yours.
Amen
I failed to mention in my NYR that my biggest resolution, which is the same year after year, is to look more Christ like this year than last. Not physically - the beard isn't my thing. But inside. I want to rely on Him more in the every day. I want to be desperate for Him every day. I want have more patience, love more (without borders!), be more joyful (which is part of my counting my blessings in the Joy Dare).
Those are really hard resolutions. I've been working on that patience thing for...the good part of a decade. Yet I won't give up. Because I know that God will transform me "by the renewing of [my] mind" by the Spirit challenging me. A friend said "if you're tired of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, I've got good news. We can fall on our knees and say "God I cannot change apart from you but change through the Spirit? That's an inherent part of the Christian walk" (that's not 100% word for word but like 98%).
That's true! I have tried to be more patient on my own. Funny thing is, I end up more impatient. When I have tried to be a "good" person on my own, I fall flat on my face. I don't want to just change outward things (although sometimes those outward things need to change too) but inward things, the important things: I want more fruit of the Spirit in my life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control, faithfulness).
And you can have those same new beginnings! If Saul can change through God into Paul, then you can change from where you are to a holy, sanctified child of God through the blood of Christ.
Lord, I recognize today that I can't change apart from you; none of us can. Help me change every day to be more like You. Let my readers see that You are the only way of salvation; that they cannot change on their own. Self-reliance is temporary and artificial; only You bring about real change!
Thank You for loving me enough to help me change as much as I have. I am not the same person I was a year ago or six years ago or eight years ago when I began to follow You. Thank You! I have done that through nothing of my own strength but all through Yours.
Amen
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