Live, learn, be free

Marks of Jesus

Peer pressure still gets us as adults, we call it "keeping up with the Joneses."  What we wear, what we drive, and where we live can all be influenced by those around us.  Even our vocabulary can be affected, have you spent any time in the south?  That sweet southern accent can rub off in a second.

We are often tempted to change our behavior in order to be accepted by others.  This lifestyle has a very high price tag.  We need to figure out who's approval is worth it.  We all feel cultural pressure around us.  We must lay every pressure around us at the feet of Jesus. 

Sometimes you may even be tempted to hide your Christianity to make a good impression.  It is important that not matter what comes our way we bear the marks of Jesus.  These are marks of Jesus are the evidence of our faithful service to the King.

Do you have marks of Jesus?  Let us purify our motives in this life.  Let's not go after the approval of men, but let's chase after the approval of God.  The good news is we don't have to run as long or as hard to get God's approval.  He loves us just the way we are, all we have to do is run to him. 

Read through Galatians 6:11-18.  You have already made a good impression on God.  Wear your marks of Jesus with pride.  Give up chasing after man's approval you have already been accepted by God.   

Forgiving Yourself

Forgiving yourself is one of the hardest things for us to do.  We can accept forgiveness from others and even from God.  Something inside us makes it incredibly hard for us to forgive ourselves.  We feel like we have to punish ourselves for our wrongdoings. 

God forgives us and He forgets about our sins.  We have a hard time forgiving ourselves because we keep reliving our sins.  God's way is the best way.  How do we go from living in unforgiveness to living in freedom from our past and our sins? 

It is amazing what happens when we forgive ourselves and use what was meant for harm to do good.  We open up a world of living in freedom.  We learn that we can help others with the same struggles.  When you forgive yourself you learn to love others enough to open up about your struggles. 

We can not get so stuck in the past that we miss the riches of the present.  We have to learn to walk in freedom from our past sins and experience the wealth of each moment.  As I travel and speak to women in the US and overseas, I find that many women struggle with forgiving themselves. 

God loves us more than anything He created.  We are His beloved.  God wants us to live free, Galatians 5:1 says it all, "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery."