knowing our weaknesses

As we go through life, we become all too aware of certain weaknesses we have. "Besetting sins" is the old word, taken from Hebrews 12. It probably is referring to sin in general in that passsage. To understand our problem- indeed our sin- is important, if we're to confess it to God, and find God's deliverance for us from it.

For me one problem has been to overreact. I'm so thankful that I understand this well, and that overreacting is much weaker in me now. Just the same I have to be on my guard to avoid overreacting when bad news or discouraging thoughts come.

For all of us accountability is important, and especially so for anyone caught in sinful addictive behaviors. All the time God is working to break us free from anything big or little which we run to for our god to give us pleasure, soothe us, help us make it through the day. I'd be wary of calling cigarette smoking or the like a sin, though it certainly soon becomes a physical addiction. Aren't we all thankful, too, for God's ongoing grace in our lives!

It's wonderful to know that someday we in Jesus will be completely conformed to his image. And it is also wonderful to know that we're in the process of being so conformed, here and now.

What thoughts from your own life would you like to add here? Or what would you like to say?

time

There is one thing certain about time as we experience it: Time sure does fly. Another week is nearly finished, and we're well onto finishing another year. Year after year keeps going by, thankfully in increments of day after day, and in those days, hour after hour, the minutes and seconds ticking away.

I love the psalmist's prayer, Moses':

12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
(TNIV)

12Teach us to use wisely
all the time we have.
(CEV)

12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.
(NLT)

The older we get the more we should realize this. To fail to do so is to be living in denial, something we humans are all too prone to do.

And it would seem that while we'll always be aware of how we continue to fall short of full maturity to Christ, we should be able to look back a few years and realize that God has helped us to grow through that time. And wisdom in Scripture is not just about what one knows, but how one lives.

Hopefully my remaining days will be more and more filled with what pleases God, and really ends up to the greatest good and pleasure of us all.

What would you like to add here?

the dark night of the soul

There are times that for us are dry and barren, seemingly empty times. In the Christian tradition they have been called "the desert," "the wilderness", or "the dark night of the soul."

This is likely referring, not to God's chastening hand on someone due to some sin they have fallen into (as seen here). It is more referring to God's hand on a life in Jesus, for change.

Most change in the Christian life is gradual, like the growth of an oak tree. There are times, however, when God knows there needs to be some serious change. Not unlike the pruning Jesus refers to of all who as branches are in him, the true vine. And during those times there may indeed be growth spurts.

In our evangelical Christian tradition, it is indeed hard for us to understand and accept the notion of any "dark night of the soul." We tend to think all should be light, and blessed as in happy.

But if we are willing to really go on into the deepest depths with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, then we'll submit to God's dealing in our lives in ways we cannot understand. And we'll endeavor to be faithful by God's grace and with the wise support of others, through those times. Otherwise we will simply choose to bail out, and live as we did before. A life of knowing God by faith in Jesus, but one that does not mature into the Christ-likeness God has for us in this life.

What would you like to add to this?