Conformed or Transformed?

Last night I finally took that sliver out of my foot. Because it was so small, I had to dig a bit to get it out and now today, my foot really hurts. It hurts worse than when I had the sliver in there. Every step I feel the cut. I thought about that for a bit, as it pertains to my post from yesterday. When we confess our sin and finally get it out of our lives, the pain of the consequences of our sin linger. Sometimes the consequences of our sin are worse than the pain of having the sin in our life. The good news is...that pain may feel worse at first, but it goes away and you become stronger and wiser for having gone through that process. Key for today: Cut out the slivers in your life and rejoice in God's grace and healing power in your life.

In my Spiritual Formation class with Mark Wilson , I was given these questions and they were very revealing in my own life. I would encourage you to use them in your own devotional time. They are from John Wesley's Holy Club and Loyola, the found of the Society of Jesus. Here is one set of nearly two dozen questions which John Wesley gave to members of his discipleship groups more than 200 years ago. The questions may have their origin in the spiritual accountability group started by Wesley when he was a student at Oxford -- a group that detractors called "The Holy Club." 1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? 2. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence? 3. Can I be trusted? 4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits? 5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? 6. Did the Bible live in me today? 7. Do I give the Bible t...

We need revival when.... ... when we do not love God as we once did. ... when earthly interests and occupations are more important to us than eternal ones. ...when we would rather watch TV and read secular books and magazines than read the Bible. ... when our Christianity is joyless and passionless. ... when we know truth in our heads that we are not practicing in our lives. ... when we make little effort to witness to the lost. ...when we have time for sports, recreation, and entertainment, but not for Bible study or prayer. . . . when we do not tremble at the power of God. On the other hand, the characteristics that take place when revival comes are... ... a deepened spiritual hunger ... intense fervent prayer that is enjoyable not dreadful ... repentance ... reckless abandonment and surrender to God ... a fresh fullness of the Holy Spirit ... spontaneous evangelism and soul winning ... restored relationships ... a spirit of thanksgiving and joy ... increased hunger for God's Wor...

I've been pondering this word for the last 24 hours. Compartmentalization. I like the word, because it's such a big word. It's a fun word to say. As a kid, we like little compartments. They are fun to discover and hide little things in. You can buy a frog for your garden that has a secret compartment for a key to your house. I love a purse with lots of little compartments. A jewlery box with lots of compartments helps us organize our precious little things. But in our life, our hearts, is compartmentalizing a sin? Is it ok for us to separate out or hide little things in our heart in the name of organization? When I gave my heart to Jesus and received His free gift of salvation, I gave my whole heart. When someone dies for their faith because of persecution, they give their everything. He has their whole heart. So, why as we go through life and issues and circumstances come up, do we think it's ok to tuck things away in a part of our heart just for us. We once gave all...

So today my daughter was sick. I called the Doctor and we got in this afternoon. She has strep throat. We decided to go to McDonalds for our "after the doctor treat" and though I wasn't sure it was the greatest of ideas, we proceeded and ordered some food. She smelled the food and puked. She leaned forward and let it all go on the floor mat. Then, she proceeded to say "Mommy, I'm so sorry I puked in your car!" And of course, as much as I hate puke and wasn't thrilled with it, I was more concerned about her. I just wanted her to get better. Minutes later she was asleep. What can I learn from this experience? When we are in a mess, we go to the Doctor (Jesus) and ask for His treatment plan. We leave and take the prescription AND indulge in the junk "food" that will make us sick. Then, when we get sick from those things that we think we want, we apologize to God and worry about the mess we just made. God is really more concerned about us and our h...