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Pause
Change is hard for everyone. Even when it’s obvious that doing something different is the better way to go, we always seem to encounter opposition. Sometimes that resistance comes from others, but often we find it welling up from deep inside ourselves.
God has something new in mind for us, but we have to decide that we are willing to go there. No kicking and screaming!
So get ready for something new. Hopefully, you will recognize its value and receive it—gladly!
Listen
Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13–14
Think
Have you watched someone run in one direction while looking in another? It usually doesn’t turn out OK. Well, maybe for the spectators, but definitely not for the runner. One of two things is happening: The runner is looking toward a goal but running in the wrong direction, or the runner is running toward the goal but focused somewhere else. Either way, the runner doesn’t make much progress.
The same is true in following Christ. We may be moving toward Christ but distracted by something else. Or we may be looking to Christ but going in another direction. Paul taught us to make sure our movement and our focus are in the same direction: Christ. Set aside goals that cause you to move away from Christ. Instead, set your focus and direction on Christ.
Ruth Perkins Lee
Pray
Dear God, renew my focus on Christ. Change my direction to move toward Christ. Help me make progress. Amen.
Go
Don’t be afraid.
The newness God is offering you is a
Very good thing!
Open your heart and mind to
The new beginnings God has in store.
Get ready for a change that lasts—forever!
