+Living Life God's Way+ 8/31/2005 http://livinglifegodsway.com Faith is: Realizing that I am useful to God, NOT in spite of My Scars, but BECAUSE of Them... unknown __________________________________________ By Degrees We....are being transformed....from glory to glory....by the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Are you able to evaluate your progress without getting discouraged or feeling condemned? Can you look at how far you still have to go, yet be able to appreciate how far you have already come? Where you are now, is not where you are going to be. You must have a clear view of the finish line or you will never get out of the starting gate. In the Amplified Bible, Paul states that God changes us from one degree of glory to another. Notice, the improvement takes place by degrees, not giant leaps! "But why do I keep falling?" you ask. Why did you keep falling after you first birth? Because you were not born walking walking shoes! No, you had to learn, and at first you stumbled more than you walked. The truth is, some of us just grow up faster than others. We are too hard on ourselves; we would grow faster if we relaxed more. We cannot live by our feelings in these matters. Satan will make sure we frequently feel like "an unredeemable mess," or that God is not working in our lives. That is a lie! We must learn to live by God's Word, not by how we feel; for His Word states that as long as we believe, He is working in us. Listen: "The Word of God...is effectually at work in you who believe, (exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it)" (1 Thessalonians 2:13 AMP). So rise up and announce, "God is at work in me today, changing me by degrees." Word For Today by Bob Gass; 12/22/2004
|