For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. (Galatians 3:26-27 NLT) Like putting on new clothes. Do you remember getting new clothes as a child? It was kind of exciting, wasn't it? You'd get those shiny new shoes, perfectly pressed outfit, and perhaps even new underwear. You'd don these with a sense of pride almost. You'd feel special. Why would it be any different when we receive Christ into our lives? It is like putting on new clothes - perfect in every way - a special gift that makes all of our life 'special'. As we place our faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, we put off the old, dirty, shabby clothes of our sinful nature. We don the fresh, new, and perfect clothes of our new nature which only Christ can provide. We don't just get 'new clothes' though. When you got those new clothes as a child, didn't your mom o...
You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19 NLT) "Seek first to understand, then be understood." (Stephen Covey) Okay, who among us is quick to speak, slow to listen? Raise your hand - come on, go ahead, admit it. We can all be this way from time to time, some of us more intent on being heard than we are on hearing. As Covey indicated, we must seek first to understand - until we do, all our speaking will be in vain. They will just be words that hit the air and dissipate. The believer isn't immune to communication faux pas. We get it wrong as much as we get it right on occasion. The more we learn about how Jesus listened to people, hearing their heart, observing their actions, seeing their trust - the more he connected with them. Trust is built when we seek to understand the other person rather than imposing our thoughts and ideals upon them. The 'quick to listen' part of this instruction requires more discipline than we might...