Monday, August 7, 2023

It's hard to believe this is the last week of the series, Firm Foundation.  I don't know about you, but I've found it more than a little convicting.  I would much rather focus on things I am better at, like the workplace (easy since I’m retired and am only a volunteer!) and the world. But boy, do I have some work to do on my marriage and my family!  

My mom, who is 95, used to really irritate me. My response was NOT pretty, and I got called out for it more than once! I am still a work in progress, but thankfully, in the last few months things have improved. This is in part because I finally spoke to my mom about her demands of me and my time. But I can also see and appreciate how God is using her current condition (old but not senile, physically unable to do some things but certainly able to use her mouth and her brain, thank God!) to grow my patience and my compassion for her and her husband as they continue to live their lives. 

My marriage is another place I need prayer. Don’t get me wrong, I am married to a wonderful man. I am so grateful to him for his many acts of generosity over the years. Yet, there are still points of irritation, as is typical in relationships. But thankfully, I have been part of a 12-step program for almost 30 years where I pray every week: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” I believe that God is using my relationships with my husband and my mom to mature Christ in me and spread Christ through me. 

Colossians 3:10
Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 

I cannot change my mom nor my husband, and my efforts to submit to my husband and be kind to my mother on my own strength fall short. But I do trust that Jesus can change me to be a more loving daughter and wife if I willingly put on the new Christ-centered nature God so graciously gave me when I accepted Jesus as my Lord 30 years ago! And with Christ all things are possible!

Colossians 3:13
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 

This needs to be my focus. Jesus has forgiven me of SO much! How can I not forgive others?

Bottom line: Relationships mature Christ in us and spread Christ through us.

Questions:
What is God asking of you? Is it unpleasant? Are you willing to do what is unpleasant? How can you submit to his Lordship?

Next Steps:
Determine to make Jesus your Lord, not just your Savior. He gets to tell us how to live our lives if we have submitted to him. Love one another as Christ has loved you, (and your spouse,) and forgiven you of all your sins! What a thought!

Prayer:
King Jesus be my Lord. Tell me how to live my life in a way that honors you! By the power of your Holy Spirit, help me to do what I cannot do on my own! Thank you for the mercy and grace you have shown me. Help me show that to others, in Jesus' name.

Series Theme Verse:
Colossians 1:23
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.