“It is no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” from Gal. 2:20 NLT
Paul had a
checkered past, with ups and downs, good and bad things in his life. You and I
probably have checkered pasts too.
We cannot
change the past, but we can change the future. I was recently selected to lead
an organization with a history of problems. The members wanted things fixed. I
told them that I could not change what happened in the past, but that our goal
would be to do things with excellence starting NOW. We’re going to change how
we operate.
Paul, through
his spiritual awakening on the road to Damascus, found his life radically
transformed. He accepted his new mission and went to work, determined to do
things God’s way from now on. He didn’t always score 100% on this test, but
showed remarkable progress. As humans in a sinful world, we also may never get
a perfect score, but if we look at trends, over time, we'll find we’re getting
closer and closer to God’s model.
As we begin a
new year, this would be a good time for self-examination. How is life working
for you? Can you recognize the old you in the rear-view mirror, see the line
drawn when you began to follow Jesus, and picture the new you on the other
side? Has your life been radically transformed?
Like Paul, we
cannot change our checkered pasts, but we can pursue the future with
God-honoring excellence.
Happy New
Year!
Norton Lawellin
Sunday, Jan. 6, 10:30am Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF)
gathers in the North end of the Oliver Ministry Building, 27th
Street & Bloomington Avenue, Minneapolis. Rev. Daisy Rader will continue our exploration of
Luke 2 along with a little testimony, and men from the New Hope center will be
joining us as part of their church tour. See you there!
NL
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