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"Pure"
It’s a New Year. Things can’t be the same as they were last year. I don’t know about you, but God has challenged me to a whole new level of commitment this year. I know that we all make resolutions. We all say that we’re going to do better in whatever area that may be. But, 2006 has to be different. God is calling His church to a closer walk with Him.
It’s kind of funny how the “Scripture of the Day” yesterday was “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16). Gabe, who does the “Scripture of the Day”, doesn’t tell me what scripture he’s going to use. I get it in an e-mail, or at the site, just like all of you, but that was what I had planned to use in this column.
God has been stressing this to me all week long. I had led worship on Sunday night at church and I was talking with a brother afterwards. One thing he said to me was, “Keep it Pure.” That is my desire this year. I can’t let the same things that held me back last year, influence my walk with Christ this year.
I don’t know what kind of year 2005 was for you. It may have been hard. Things might have not turned out the way you thought they should. You may have faced trials and tribulations, hard times and struggles. I believe that 2005 was a year of refining for a lot of us. I heard a preacher say, “You can’t have a testimony if you’ve never been tested.” And we can now say that we do have a testimony. God has brought us through another year. He’s kept us and He’s going to continue to do that work in our lives.
We now have that new mind, a mind of Christ. We can’t think like we used to think in the world. Our focus can’t be on the world’s version of success. My Pastor was speaking on success this past weekend. Our idea of success needs to match up with God’s. God doesn’t look at us and say, “he/she has a big house, a nice car, a huge savings account, so he/she is successful.” That’s the world’s mentality. The only way to be successful in Christ is to strive and be more like Him. We need to make every effort to be pure and holy, to be tried and true, to be that sweet aroma and beautiful sound unto Him.
God’s calling us to a new level. We all sin. We all fall short. But God’s grace is always there to wash us clean. He’s the God of a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance and so on and so on. It doesn’t give us permission to sin, but it gives us reconciliation to Him when we do. He’s cleaned the slate, so let’s take full advantage of serving Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength.
To be “Pure”, that’s what I’m striving for this year. You might have to cut a few things off in your life. Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s laziness. Maybe it’s music, movies, video games, TV, etc. Whatever it may be, you know what it is in your life that needs to be put aside so that you can draw closer to Him. Let’s be that living sacrifice, pure, unblemished, spotless, stainless, refined, bride of Christ that He’s called us to be in 2006.
w/muchluv,
geno
HAVE YOU SIGNED OUR GUEST BOOK IN 2006???????
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