Thought of the Day !!

So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about them. ...What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NLT)

When one becomes a Christian, the supposition is that Christ has come into that person's life. On one hand, change in all facets of a Christian's life doesn't always happen over night. On the other hand, if someone does truly accept Christ and His ways, change will occur.

Today I would like to ask each one of us to look not at other Christians, but at ourselves. Let us each ask ourselves if we are living lives, thinking thoughts, doing certain things that we once did before Christ was a part of our lives. How have we changed? Are we allowing Christ to continually change us? Are there parts of us that we won't allow God to change for one reason or another?

Peter writes in his first letter that we are to be holy, just as Jesus was holy. Jesus once told us that we were to be perfect, just as our Heavenly Father is perfect. Do we make excuses here, claiming these as impossibilities. Or will we lead lives where each day we make an effort to do what the Bible commands us to do?

Know that God doesn't expect perfection over night. And to be quite honest, I don't think He expects complete sinlessness. But if we are willing to try, Jesus can make us holy (or right with God) and we can obtain perfect love of God and neighbor.

The question for us today is this. In a world where it's easier to give up, forget, or get lazy, are we really trying?

In the love of Christ,
greg