[Discoveries] 06-21-08 Little choices -- 2 Timothy 2:24-26

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to 
everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must 
gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading 
them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their 
senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive 
to do his will. -- 2 Timothy 2:24-26*/

There is a great partnership here, between the Lord and His people. Our 
job is to break the way of righteousness down into little steps, small 
choices. God's work is to grant repentance. And what is repentance? It 
is a change of mind, and change of belief.

For example, if I believe that I am shameful, then I will make choices 
in accordance with that belief. I will make choices that distance me 
from God. For example, I might figure that my life is a mess anyway, so 
why not abuse drugs or commit immorality?

Enter the well-meaning Christian. "Repent!" he cries. And what he means 
is: "Make different choices and cry a lot while you are making the change."

On the surface, that sounds very spiritual. No one wants to be soft on 
sin. No one wants to peddle easy believe-ism.

But the Lord's servant is always on the lookout for the small choice 
that gives God room to change those underlying beliefs. He asks gentle 
questions. "Have you considered the possibility that the Lord might care 
about you?" "Would you be willing to hear what Jesus might have to say 
to you about who you really are or about what you mean to Him?"

Sin will go away as Jesus transforms a life. None of us has the ability 
to take it away from ourselves or from anybody else. That prerogative is 
reserved for the Lamb of God. All we do is find the little choices that 
open the doors to let Jesus in.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

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