I loved church this morning. Terry preached on freedom through forgiveness. Our whole worship set was designed around this, and there were some powerful words about the healing hands of God, and what forgiveness and freedom we have as children of him through the blood of Jesus. Two things stuck out to me during the worship service. The first is that I LOVE just closing my eyes and listening to the voices of the whole church singing together. It just moves me. Very powerful.
The second involves healing. Listening to the songs, and hearing the words, it reminded me that I am in a much better place than I was in my past. Does that mean that my past was terrible? No, not at all. What it does mean is that I recognize that I have a much better life today as I grow with Christ than I did before. I find that powerful, too. Powerful in the sense that it would be very easy to sit and reflect on negative, or failures, or wrongs I have done. Yet instead, Jesus died for me and for my sin. God never intended for me to be bogged down in failures, but rather be bathed in hope and a future. A wonderful future.
So there lies the next step in my life. I sat there this morning thinking about how I got from one place to another. The answer was through self-checking. That process involves me and God. So today I am sitting and asking the Lord to reveal to me and show me areas where I can get better, and more Christ-like, in my life. We all always have areas we can work on. Do you do that? Have you done that? If you haven't, I want to share with you the process I go through---the whole process:
-First, I have to have a heart that recognizes I am a sinner. I desire to be my best, but will NEVER be perfect. That is hard for any of us to have to grasp--especially those of us who strive to better ourselves all of the time. In working to be better, we have to have a point that we are working towards, which is perfection. Compared to perfection, we are mere dirt. The other hard part about bettering oursleves is recognizing the fact that life happens in peaks and valleys. There will always be times that we are further away from where we want to be.
-So before I write down the things I hear, I try to focus in as I think on the things that matter most to me. I want to be thinking about those things, as they are the priorities that I want my life focused around.
-Here is the list of things today that I have written down and dated so I can go back and check in on how I feel like I am progressing:
-I want to detach more from things and people that don't serve as a positive in my life
-I want to check relationships and set boundaries in them that better honor God and my loved ones
-I need to adjust my routine and analyze my free time and how I spend it
-I desire to keep pressing on towards more and more simplicity, and a quiet and honorable life
-I want to fill my time with focusing on only my responsibilities, productive things, and my loved ones
-From here, I will visit this list often. I want to be focused on moving forward in my life with the good things God has already given me, and allow him to help me see results in these other areas. Doing that will help me be a better man, a better mate, a better dad, a better friend, a better christian, a better servant, more forgiving, more encouraging, more loving, a better witness, and continue to press towards being more Christ-like.
I definitely am blessed. I know that. I don't deserve the things and love I have, but I also understand that God is bigger than everything, and he desires for me to live a full, blessed, and productive life. So I want to be sure and do my best in honoring him and growing more like Jesus all of the time. I just want to be my best...
Lord, you are the giver of life. You are good. I know that I am a sinner, and without you, I am nothing. I fail you daily. I know, too, that you are my maker, and my life has purpose. I ask you to forgive me for where I have failed you, and cleanse me of those sins. Allow the Holy Spirit to better lead my life, specifically in the areas that you have laid on my heart today in our time together. Let others see you in me, and see the good in me. You have filled my life with SO many wonderful things, and I want to honor them, knowing that in doing that, I honor you. Thank you God for changing my life, and for providing me a hope and a future. I give you all of the glory---for everything. Thank you also for Jesus and his blood. I love you, Lord.
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