Renewal

Ephesians 4:20-24

Message Translation

^20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.


Amplified Translation

²² Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;

²³ And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],

²⁴ And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

What does striping of our former nature really mean? How do I discard myself when I have to live within my own skin?

When I look at Eph 4:22-24 it is calling us to action. The beautiful thing about God is that he doesn't leave it up to us on how to do the things He is asking us to do. Vs 22 he is calling a striping of wrong behaviors and Vs 24 calling us to new behaviors that are His image and character. Often times we read through a scripture and it has a wrong way and a right way and we miss that the "How To" post is right before us.

Vs 23 is our application for change. Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind. The key is our thought life! That is how we go from wrong behavior to Christ Like behavior.

I recently walked through a tough situation and was really having a ugly old nature attitude about it. My flesh wanted to be justified and my thought life on the situation was feeding my old nature. The Holy Spirit kept tugging on me to submit my attitude and thoughts to him and to allow him to change my heart. See I can't do it on my own. No matter how many deep breaths or nice things I make myself say. Without the help of the spirit to renew my mind to the image and character of Christ I am dead in the water. I will continue in wrong thinking and behaving without that key ingredient. 

The great news is that God left us with His spirit to help us navigate all these situations in our life. He knew left to our own fallen flesh we would be dead in this life and non producing of His character.

Lord help me to stay harnessed in your spirit and to live a life that shows the love of Christ in word and deed! Forgive me for my wrong thinking and call it forth to a renewal in your spirit and love.

Sneak Peek

I'm so excited I can hardly contain it. I got the concept proofs back for the branding of my new shop
Be Junk Chic and I'm having such a hard time picking.

Here is a Sneak Peek

Make sure to pop over to http://www.blissandtellbrandingcompany.com for any branding needs. She's pretty much AMAZING.

Friends for Life

Not only did Eugene get to be home with us the last two weeks but we had vistors from Sandpoint Idaho. My bestie Aprill Lytton http://aprills30before30.blogspot.com came with her two girls for her 30th birthday!!! We had a fun filled week of girly things, yummy food, waterparks, flea markets, and pool time. We miss them terribly and can't wait till we meet up again in Sandpoint in July.

Below is some fun pics of our time. Everyone needs good friends who you can do life with!!!

LOVE God LOVE People

^{Matthew 22:36-40}

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

What does LOVE your Neighbor as yourself really mean? Do we act that way in our day to day life? If that person doesn't live like me or talk like me or have the same ethics like me does that make this commandment exempt? 

I believe...

LOVE your neighbor as yourself:) It doesn't say LOVE them only if they keep my commandments no it says LOVE them as yourself. Sin comes in all forms and none of us are without Sin. That is why God sent His Son to save us from those things. Our Sin all looks the same to God and even if you were Cussing and someone is having relations with the same sex IT IS ALL THE SAME.. Its hard for us to wrap our minds around because we like to measure Sin but its simple! LOVE People and LOVE God. Those were the two commandments Jesus gave us to sum up the law.

As a mother I am choosing to teach my children to LOVE no matter what the person looks like or acts like. That is the image of Christ. LOVE conquers a multitude of Sin and the LOVE you extend to another could be the very light they needed in their darkness. Let me be clear that I do not condone a lifestyle of Sin but that doesn't mean you and I go around judging. The minute I think of others short falls God reminds me of all of mine.

As a believer just as you are LOVE people LOVE God and live a life that speaks to the image of Christ. That will make more of a difference than walking around in judgement. The enemy has us when we put on judgement rather than LOVE.

God does call us to hold believers accountable one to another but even that is done in LOVE not in Judgement. LOVE speaks Truth and LOVE is patient kind not boastful not envy and list carries on. 
1 Cor 13

God continue to work this in me everyday that I may choose to LOVE your PEOPLE and LOVE you more than the Sin Nature.