Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Update on Jeff

Jeff was taken completely off of blood pressure medication yesterday and is still on low ventilator settings. He is making good, but slow progress. It will be awhile before they are able to tell if his kidneys will be able to function on their own again. But, for right now the dialysis is definitely working and he is following commands and in fairly good spirits. God is good.

Melissa

Inviting God To Change You

Sometimes as Christians and just as humans, we have the tendency to think that we don't need to change and that we have it all together in our lives and our Christian walk. My devotion this morning was on being teachable, the way God wants us to be.

None of us have it all together. None of us are sinless. We should all be in the process of asking God to change us to be more like him. Let us all go before the Lord today and ask him where we need to change. Whether it be pride, feelings of self-doubt, addiction, etc., the Lord will give you the strength to change by just going before his Throne in humility and asking Him to help change you to be more like Christ.

TEACHABLE
by Gail Rodgers

The little boy was like a sponge, eager to learn with no pretense yet of having it all together. He was completely teachable. I once heard that the true characteristic of humility is to have a teachable spirit. It makes sense.

It's interesting that, as adults, it's easy to be teachable in the presence of some. Yet at other times we feel being teachable will create a vulnerability that we just don't want to face. So, we put on the pretense of having it all together. Having a teachable spirit means having a spirit that is open to change. We know God's desire is to transform us ... by renewing our thoughts... so we can live in line with His will for us. (Romans 12:2) We want to live in victory in our Christian lives yet at the same time we resist changing our thinking. We deeply desire to walk in the strength and the power of the Holy Spirit but at times, we wonder why our lives feel powerless as Christians. All the while we hang on to the familiar ruts that run through our thoughts and we resist changing.

"Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"(Matthew 18: 3, 4). "Like this child." Trusting. Teachable. And yes, changeable. God desires to bring us to wholeness and we all want that. Why then do we hang on so tightly to the familiar, common thinking patterns that run in our minds and are contrary to God's word? This is where defeat can enter. Check your thoughts. Ask God to reveal where your thinking needs transforming. Let His Spirit change you and lead you out of defeat.

Do you choose to hold your anxiety in your own hands when God asks you to cast it on to Him and leave it at the foot of the cross? Pour them out to Him in prayer.

Do you nurse thoughts that feed your feelings of inadequacy when God asks you to allow Him to be your strength where you are weak? Ask for His strength.

Do you hold tightly to your pretense that you are better than "them" when God asks you to show love? Invite Him to love through you.

Are you entertaining doubt in God and dulling your faith? Read the stories of the Old Testament and see the power of God in the lives of ordinary people.

Do you neglect fellowship with other believers because you don't like the way they do things? Make an effort to get to church with expectation in your heart to meet God there.

This is the pathway out of defeat. This is the invitation to let the Spirit change you.