I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! (Philippians 3:9-11 NLT) How many times do we count on our own efforts to make us feel 'better' about ourselves? If you preen in front of the mirror each morning, are you doing it to please God, yourselves, or others? While I am grateful that I have a hairbrush, toothbrush, and soap, I don't spend a whole lot of time focusing on physical appearance. I choose not to wear makeup, but there is nothing wrong with it. I choose not to curl my hair or straighten it with a flat iron, though those styles are quite nice on others. I do choose to sit each morning with my Bible, read a bit, spend s...
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! (Philippians 4:4-5 MSG) We must never lose the joy in celebrating what God is doing and what he has done. Herein is the secret to seeing life through a different lens. When we turn our thoughts to what he has done, we have little time to focus on all the negatives our world offers us today. We won't spend as much time 'doomscrolling' through life because we will begin to see what we take in through our 'eye gate' really affects our perspective as we navigate our day. Make it as clear as you can that God is your Master - not your copilot, but the one who is actually directing the course of your day. Too many times, we treat Jesus like he is our copilot - sitting there 'just in case' we need him. We are unwilling to...