Friday - “Making Changes”

Bible Reading: Romans 12:2

Malachi 3:6 says, "I the Lord do not change...."  God is the only being that does not need to change something. We never see biblical examples of Jesus teaching, keep doing what you are doing, don't change a thing. Now, the point here is that we all have some changes in our lives. In the letters to the seven churches of Asia, while almost all of them were encouraged in the good things they were doing, they were also told the areas in which they needed to change or they would pay the consequences. So, if we have taken the wrong path, how do we change? Well, Simmons says that we must first face and embrace the truth. Brutal honesty is the first step to making change in our life.  

Kyle Idleman wrote a book titled "AHA."  The title is an acronym for the words "Awakening, Honesty, and Action." The change agent here is Honesty. We must evaluate ourselves and be totally honest with what is hindering us from completely turning our lives over to God. We all have flaws, we must stop and identify those flaws, as much as it may hurt, and address them. George W. Bush was once a heavy drinker. He said in one of his books that he thought he needed it at every social event. As a politician, we all know that social events are many. One day, Laura asked him, "George, do you remember the last day that you didn't have a drink?" It was that moment that he stopped, and realized the brutal honesty that he had a problem. He began then to read the Bible every day and to stop drinking all together. One radio personality correctly said that he would not have become President had he not stopped. The drinking was the major thing that kept him from living an excellent life.  
    
We all have flaws, because we are human. Let’s pray today that God helps us to be honest about what they are. Be honest with yourself and devise a plan to address that flaw. With God’s help, we can make change that will result in a better life, and make us better servants of God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Colors of Christmas: Green

  Discussion:                                    Evergreen plants, like holly and mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and winter wouldn't last forever! The Romans would exchange evergreen branches during January as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid-winter festivals. In many parts of Europe during the Middle Ages, “paradise plays” were performed, often on Christmas Eve. They told Bible stories to people who couldn't read. “The Paradise Tree” in the Garden of Eden in the play was normally a pine tree with red apples tied to it. Today, think about the newness of life we have because we are in Christ. The old man could represent the dark winter and the barren trees. Then think of the bright Christmas trees that are so easily seen! … Help brighten someone’s life this week! Inform
Read more

“Blow-out in Boston”

BIBLE READING: Luke 14 DISCUSSION                                                                                       Boston Globe's account in June 1990 of a most unusual wedding banquet… Accompanied by her fiancé, a woman went to the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston and ordered the meal. The two of them poured over the menu, made selections of china and silver, and pointed to pictures of the flower arrangements they liked. They both had expensive taste, and the bill came to $13,000. After leaving a check for half that amount as down payment, the couple went home to flip through books of wedding announcements. The day the announcements were supposed to hit the mailbox, the groom got cold feet. "I'm just not sure," he said. "It's a big commitment. Let's think about this a little longer." When his angry fiancé returned to the Hyatt to cancel the banquet, the manager could not have been more understanding. However, concerning the refund, she h
Read more

“Is there Joy in your Heart?”

  DISCUSSION:                              There are so many things going on in this world today that it is easy to let worry have more room in our heart than happiness. In the medical world, we are constantly being reminded of the preventive medicine we need. Unlike 60 years ago when health only entered our minds when we got sick, today we are told continually of so much that can happen to our health if we don’t have this test run, take this pill, or get this shot to prevent some type of virus infecting us. If you allow it, you can give this too much attention. Of course, it is important to have good health. As we get older it really seems to get a lot more of our attention. Don’t let worry about your health take your eyes off the cross. The words of God given wisdom from Solomon in Proverbs 4, we see that a physically healthy heart is important, but to keep focused on good things to keep our spiritual heart clean and healthy. There is no medical test in place to make sure we are
Read more