Spiritual Life Comes From The Spirit
Maybe your past isn't much to brag about. Maybe you've seen raw evil. And now you, like Josiah, have to make a choice. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses?
Many choose the latter.
Many choose the convalescent homes of the heart. Healthy bodies. Sharp minds. But retired dreams. Back and forth they rock in the chair of regret, repeating the terms of surrender. Lean closely and you will hear them: "If only." The white flag of the heart.
"If only. . . "
"If only I'd been born somewhere else. . . "
"If only I'd been treated fairly. . ."
"If only I'd had kinder parents, more money, greater opportunities. . . "
Maybe you've used those words. Maybe you have every right to use them. Perhaps you, like Josiah, were hearing the ten count before you even got into the ring. For you to find an ancestor worth imitating, you, like Josiah, have to flip way back in your family album.
If such is the case, let me show you where to turn. Put down the scrapbook and pick up your Bible. Go to John's Gospel and read Jesus' words: "Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit" (John 3:6)
Think about that. Spiritual life comes from the Spirit! Your parents may have given you genes, but God gives you grace. Your parents may be responsible for your body, but God has taken charge of your soul. You may get your looks from your mother, but you get eternity from your Father, your heavenly Father. . .
God has not left you adrift on a sea of heredity. Just like Josiah, you cannot control the way your forefathers responded to God. But you can control the way you respond to Him. The past does not have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.
Choose well and someday - generations from now - your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will thank God for the seeds you sowed.
-From When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado; part of The Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version by Max Lucado
Many choose the latter.
Many choose the convalescent homes of the heart. Healthy bodies. Sharp minds. But retired dreams. Back and forth they rock in the chair of regret, repeating the terms of surrender. Lean closely and you will hear them: "If only." The white flag of the heart.
"If only. . . "
"If only I'd been born somewhere else. . . "
"If only I'd been treated fairly. . ."
"If only I'd had kinder parents, more money, greater opportunities. . . "
Maybe you've used those words. Maybe you have every right to use them. Perhaps you, like Josiah, were hearing the ten count before you even got into the ring. For you to find an ancestor worth imitating, you, like Josiah, have to flip way back in your family album.
If such is the case, let me show you where to turn. Put down the scrapbook and pick up your Bible. Go to John's Gospel and read Jesus' words: "Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit" (John 3:6)
Think about that. Spiritual life comes from the Spirit! Your parents may have given you genes, but God gives you grace. Your parents may be responsible for your body, but God has taken charge of your soul. You may get your looks from your mother, but you get eternity from your Father, your heavenly Father. . .
God has not left you adrift on a sea of heredity. Just like Josiah, you cannot control the way your forefathers responded to God. But you can control the way you respond to Him. The past does not have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.
Choose well and someday - generations from now - your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will thank God for the seeds you sowed.
-From When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado; part of The Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version by Max Lucado
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