Sometimes I think some of us need to wear a sign that says, “CAUTION!WORK IN PROCESS”. I know I strive every day to be Christlike. To make the right choices and to walk in God’s Word. However, I am still a work in progress. We all are. All of us who believe and reflect on the glory of the Lord is being changed day by day, to be more and more like Him. It is a growth process, and we all are at different levels in this process. You may believe that all we have to do is say no to sin. It's not that easy. Our will power is no match for sin. The more we try to say no by our own efforts, the harder it becomes. Paul said it best in Romans 7:19,"For the good that I will do, I do not do, but the evil I will not do, that I practice." I thank God that these days it is harder for anyone to knock me out of character. However it does happen. But what I can honestly say is the deeper my relationship with God, the quicker I snap back into my character, the easier it is to apologize, and forgiveness comes easy. That is because my victory from every sin is found in Jesus, not me. I said yes to Him! He is my righteousness and holiness. When I am weak, He is strong. If you say yes to Jesus, His grace will transform you from the inside out. So if you come across a Christian that is acting out of character, please don't judge. They may not be wearing a caution sign, but just know, they, like you and I, are a work in progress. We must learn to forgive each other in the same extravagant manner our Father has forgiven us. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and His authority, and today, the tendency toward sin is alive and well in all of us. Our best efforts will always fall short. This could have separated us from God, but because of Jesus and His sacrifice, our enormous debt to God has been fulfilled. In this world, we may wrong others and we will be wronged. However, we must pray that God will give us the strength to ask for forgiveness and the grace to forgive. We must pray that God will guard our hearts from bitterness and keep us ever mindful of what it means to be a forgiven servant of our God. We must acknowledge our sin against God, accept His forgiveness with gratitude, and in turn be careful and quick to forgive each other. Love and blessings...
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;” (Luke 6:3)
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”(Ephesians 4:32)
“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before."(Job 42:10)
EMMANUEL 