Let’s work on this some more

I have been keeping a journal for the past 6 years. Journaling has been such a blessing to me as I go back and relearn what I have forgotten and to see how far God has brought me and how far He has yet to take me. I came across an entry from last March about getting upset over little things in my life, which is something God has been speaking to me about lately. Sometimes I just get upset or frustrated for no reason at all, but at the time I feel like I justify my reactions. I feel the root of that is peace and learning that I can’t be in control of everything even if I want to and that is ok.

God’s patience is incredible and I love how He continues to allow us to work on issues so we become more like Him. I was struggling with this issue almost a year ago and this past week it came back up again. It was almost like God was telling me, “Let’s work on this some more Jeremy”. Most of the time we don’t just surrender something to God and never have to deal with it again, but it’s a process as we continue to rely on God’s strength to overcome.

So what is your issue or issues that keep on coming up? Instead of getting all frustrated, thank God that you have been given another opportunity to work on this. If it is sin don’t try to justify it and just agree with God that this it is sin and you need His forgiveness with it. I want to come to a point where I desire God more than I do holding onto my struggles and sin. So let God work on it some more.

Living a life Christ died to give

When the Sonagrapher told Sabrina my wife and I that we were having a boy, of course we were both excited and the news made things even more real, especially for me. I experienced great joy and I also had a sense of overwhelming responsibility in thinking about trying to raise a young man in this world today. I thought about the issues and personal struggles that still linger in my life and how I wished the Lord had gotten rid of those before my first child is born. This however, is not reality and we are all a work in progress and our Creator and Savior is patient.

A question I came across this week was, “Are you living the life that Christ died to give you?” 1 John 1:6 says, “If we claim to have fellowship with God yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth”. Christ has not only died and risen to forgive us, but has died to set us free from sin in this life. I no longer have to live as a prisoner to sin, but can live the life God has always intended me to live by being in fellowship with Him. God will continue to refine His children and I know my soon to be son Graydon will not always see his dad live a perfect life, but I hope he can see God’s love through me as I strive to live a life Christ died to give.