Through Jesus Christ

Heb 13:20  Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Heb 13:21  Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Now the God of peace…..make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight--  THROUGH Jesus Christ.

We are faced every single day of our lives with choices.

We wake up and we are faced with choices.

Every choice we make matters.

God will make us perfect in every good work to do His will.

God will work in us.

God will do all of this through Jesus Christ our LORD.

We have to choose to allow God to work in us, to make us perfect to do His will.

Consciously we have to comprehend that all we do is a reflection of the choices we make. We can't change ourselves, but we can allow ourselves to be changed.

The process of our changing isn't going to be anything like we really, really expect.

Paul was changed very unexpectedly, very profoundly and yet he was NOT given an existence free of doubt, free of carnal desires, free of the flesh.  So WHY do we imagine this is what we should be changed into?

We do imagine that, don't we?

Being changed into some amazingly humble, unbelievably kind, generous, patient, all loving person, is this our goal?

Paul wasn't changed that way, in fact none of the apostles or Christ followers that lived in the time of Christ's ministry upon earth were changed this way.  And when we read books, or hear of people, or meet people who seem to be perfect God-fearing, God-loving, people loving, generous, kind, patient person we are envisioning, we believe we too can be like them. We forget to look at God's chosen and instead we look at what we imagine God's chosen should be. I'm not saying that there aren't people who seem to be what we long to be, and maybe they really are what we long to be, but we aren't those people- we are Paul-People and by that I mean we are WRETCHED.  Christ alone will save us just as He saved Paul. Our race we are running will not be a carefree jog, but a rocky road strewn with pot holes and all uphill that we struggle to get through.

The renewal of our minds will transform us and that is by our minds being as Christ's mind. 

1Pe_4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin

1Co_2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

We will suffer in our flesh, we must suffer in our flesh. Christ suffered in His flesh, suffered and never gave into flesh desire. He suffered in ways we cannot fathom. We will suffer as well, suffer and by the Holy Spirit's guidance through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we will cling to our Lord, the Giver of Salvation!

More tomorrow by HIS will, by HIS grace and mercy, by HIS love!

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, now and forever!!!

AMEN.