Time to make a change... Changes. What is it about change that we love to hate? Is it the underlying lack of motivation or the thought of doing the hard work that is often required for change to take place? I don't like my weight, but the effort required to exercise regularly or to push back from the table is more than I'm inclined to give. Therefore, change in that area doesn't happen.
If I am to change I have to be willing to do the hard work of uncovering those areas where I am stuck. Stuck in the muck of doing the same thing over and over. Getting unstuck is difficult. It requires tremendous effort if we are to accomplish the work. That is why we need God. He is the unseen force that can remove the obstacle from our lives that has us stuck in the muck. Only when we uncover the area of difficulty and allow God to intervene can we experience life change. He is able to work in us to provide the motivation and power for change to happen. My prayer is for God to reveal those areas where I am stuck, so that with His help, He can reach down and pull me out.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Signs
Signs, signs everywhere signs... remember the old song. Well the past couple of weeks, signs have been on my mind. I guess because we tore down the old church sign and just today had the new one installed. It's funny, someone said that a friend asked if we went out of business because our sign was missing. Hopefully, today they will realize that we are back in business and doing better than ever.
This got me thinking. What is our sign? Is is just for information? Does it show that we occupy some space? Or is it the symbol of what is inside? I hope it is the latter. What is the sign on your life, my life? Is it the external looks? I think it is the external actions that come about because of our internal character. Our sign is seen 24/7. Only we don't consider it as a sign. It is our behavior. The way we interact with people. Our sign is always on. We can have our sign changed. Only God is able to change our sign.
Most people go through their Entire life with the same sign. Only an encounter with the Creator God is it possible for our sign to be changed. Some have tried to change it themselves, yet underneath the old sign reappears. God changes us from the inside out. Then people see the difference that He makes and question what has happened to the old sign, old you. This Easter is a great time to allow God to change our sign. I'm ready for it, are you?
This got me thinking. What is our sign? Is is just for information? Does it show that we occupy some space? Or is it the symbol of what is inside? I hope it is the latter. What is the sign on your life, my life? Is it the external looks? I think it is the external actions that come about because of our internal character. Our sign is seen 24/7. Only we don't consider it as a sign. It is our behavior. The way we interact with people. Our sign is always on. We can have our sign changed. Only God is able to change our sign.
Most people go through their Entire life with the same sign. Only an encounter with the Creator God is it possible for our sign to be changed. Some have tried to change it themselves, yet underneath the old sign reappears. God changes us from the inside out. Then people see the difference that He makes and question what has happened to the old sign, old you. This Easter is a great time to allow God to change our sign. I'm ready for it, are you?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Great Leaders
WOW!!!! Having just returned from Duck, NC from our leadership retreat, I am flying high. It was a wonderful experience, building unity and grower as a team. Friday, God showed up and we experience a wonderful time of praying for each other.
It is so true that when we surrender our will to God, He moves in our hearts. We discussed how humbling it is to allow someone to serve us. Our pride interferes with God's desire to mold us into a Mature follower. That is one of Jesus' reasons for washing the disciples feet in John 13. After Jesus washed the disciples feet He commands that we wash each others feet. I don't have a difficult time washing someone's feet, it is difficult to allow someone to wash mine. Yet, Christ told Peter that if he couldn't wash Peter's feet, then Peter would not be a part of Jesus. This time opened us up to experience God's movement and a time of healing. Many of us keep God at arm's length because of our fear of being found with dirty feet.
Ever experience the embarassment of taking your shoes off in a group to find you have dirty socks or socks with holes. We hate revealing that our feet are less than spotless. We would rather hide the dirt. That is so like our life that we hide those areas of our life that are hidden and yet are imperfect. Jesus desires to wash our life daily to remove the dust and dirt that we pick up by being human. He never forces us to come to him to be washed. He patiently waits for us to come and humble ourselves so that He can do His work. I am so glad Jesus is so willing to wash my feet.
It is so true that when we surrender our will to God, He moves in our hearts. We discussed how humbling it is to allow someone to serve us. Our pride interferes with God's desire to mold us into a Mature follower. That is one of Jesus' reasons for washing the disciples feet in John 13. After Jesus washed the disciples feet He commands that we wash each others feet. I don't have a difficult time washing someone's feet, it is difficult to allow someone to wash mine. Yet, Christ told Peter that if he couldn't wash Peter's feet, then Peter would not be a part of Jesus. This time opened us up to experience God's movement and a time of healing. Many of us keep God at arm's length because of our fear of being found with dirty feet.
Ever experience the embarassment of taking your shoes off in a group to find you have dirty socks or socks with holes. We hate revealing that our feet are less than spotless. We would rather hide the dirt. That is so like our life that we hide those areas of our life that are hidden and yet are imperfect. Jesus desires to wash our life daily to remove the dust and dirt that we pick up by being human. He never forces us to come to him to be washed. He patiently waits for us to come and humble ourselves so that He can do His work. I am so glad Jesus is so willing to wash my feet.
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