Many of us (myself included) have had an illusion after we have been saved and start changing things in our lives that we will not do this or that or deal with this or that type of person. Now there are times when we will be lead to leave certain things behind such as partying, drinking, gossip, premarital sex etc.; whatever your particular vice(s) may be. Those vices began to be unappealing to you and we get so convicted that we may feel we need to passionately tell others about these changes in you. Feeling frustrated when you tell others about the changes that are happening with you and they don’t get it. Forgetting that we were made in God's image which is perfection; but within in that process of perfecting is also maturity.
Maturity means having your own opinion about a subject, yet not forcing it on others. We are all given free will and with that gift God also granted us repentance and forgiveness. As disciples we are to endeavor to live our lives as close to Jesus example as possible. Jesus in His fullness of maturity in the things of God, went places and ministered to people who the religious thought He should not have even said "hi" to. It is for this reason that so many outside of the faith hate religion. The truth is……..SO DID JESUS!
The key to winning souls for Christ is not by condemning them nor is it to condone what we believe is wrong based on the word. But to give grace and allow Christ that is in us to shine greater than the religion we pick up from the world of religion. Hate the action but love the person.
When we evaluate where we are in our walk we may discern I'm not mature enough to go into certain environments and be strong enough to resist what’s going on. As we begin to evolve so will everything around us. During this time there should be no apologies for our growth nor should there be judgment of where others are. We must remember that God draws us to Him so that His work in & through us may draw others to Him through our testimony.
When we look at people and say they will never change, we are forgetting how much God has changed us. In any arena we can preach a million sermons, give tons of speeches and boast about how we will win. If our actions don't line up with the words we are speaking, no one will believe us. This is where religion comes into play. Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali talk more smack than a little bit, BUT their actions also show that they are Champions. It takes more than words and 1 fight to be a champion. They found the right people to train them, worked out, ate the right foods, got the right amount of rest, kept negative influences away, deprived their bodies of certain things and worked to win the title. Speaking into existence their win, calling those things that were not as though they were. It will take faith and change to be a winner.
Much like these fighters in the ring, we must be fighters for Christ. This includes being able to have love and compassion for all, and seeking wisdom and discernment on how to handle situations and people. God tells us to forget the things of our past and reach forward to our future; we too must allow people to grow.
Perfection has ONLY been obtained by 1....Jesus. So in our quest to be like Him we must remember that His perfection was exemplified through being the word; not just cutting people with it.
A few takeaways:
1.
Ask
yourself:
Where or to whom in your life can you offer more grace today and where do you yourself need grace to improve?
Where or to whom in your life can you offer more grace today and where do you yourself need grace to improve?
2.
Understand
that God is always with us; walking with Him is a long and slow but steady walk
that evolves over time. Don’t think you have to rush and change everything
immediately. When we focus on relationship with God, gradually our lives will
begin to align to His will.
Be Blessed!
R.T.
~The light that shines through~
© 2013, Robin I. Taylor. All rights reserved.
Originally published at
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