30 Days of Deeper (Day 16)

Recently, we’ve talked much about regret and past mistakes that leave us shaking our head in embarrassment. That old self of ours sure could cause a scene, couldn’t she?

But when we renew our minds and surrender our lives to Christ, we get a brand new slate and, even though we will fail, we fail forward in His grace and He uses our failure to make us more in His image.

It is quite a beautiful exchange, I must say.

Read over the following passage and think about your old self and answer the questions below:

You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?

As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.

But now that you’ve found [God] you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. Romans 6:19-23, The Message.

Wow. Isn’t that just the best? Read it again. Go back just once more. Maybe twice.

……I will wait……

Wasn’t that worth a few more read-agains?! So. So. Good.

Let’s sift it through together:

What are some of your favorite statements from this passage? (I personally love “your lives, healed and expansive in holiness.” and “A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more life on the way!”)
Can you look back on your old life, before seeking God’s way, and see the ways you were bound as a slave to sin …. even though it seemed “free”? How is God’s way, being a slave to righteousness, the better choice? What are the true freedoms you are experiencing?
How do you see God giving you a whole, healed, put-together life? What has changed lately?
What part of your life does NOT feel whole? Healed? Put-together? Be honest. He knows anyway, right!? Talk to Him about WHY this area doesn’t feel quite right.

God is on the move in our lives and His mission is WHOLE, HEALED and PUT-TOGETHER LIVES! And I see this movement in OPERATION! I just want to be a willing and open vessel to healing in ALL AREAS of my life. No area kept to my own expertise.

I don’t want to “ignore” God in any way!!! He wants to heal all of us.

Every nook. Every cranny. Every relationship. Every hurt.

Open your hands to let Him in today. No rock left unturned.

I love you all….

Go live your BEST life today…. healed and expansive in holiness!