Jesus loves the real you.
Not the one you think you should be but the person you actually are.
He does not expect you to be perfect, He expects you to be real.
“So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you;” 1 Peter 5:6 MSG
Let go of who you think you need to be and embrace who you are today.
Jesus does.
Someone needs you to be kind today.
To preach without words.
To listen without judgment.
To speak the truth in love.
To serve without complaining.
To be brave.
To be real.
To be available.
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season;”
2 Timothy 4:2 NIV
Be available for God to use you anywhere, anytime with anyone and He will.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
Jesus knows how your mind goes, so your life goes.
He also knows that you have years of pathways laid and that your most frequent thoughts have deep familiar grooves they travel in.
What are you thinking?
What are your most frequent thoughts?
I’m not talking about the power of positive thinking, I’m talking about the power of Christ-like thinking.
In fact, there is an incredible statement in
1 Cor. 2:16 NIV: “But we have the mind of Christ.”
That doesn’t mean that we are robots who all think the same way, it means that Jesus has given you access to His mind and how He thinks by the power of the Holy Spirit.
You have your own mind and think your own thoughts.
In Christ, you can make new grooves and new pathways.
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”
Philippians 4:8 MSG
When your mind is stuck on repeat and it is filling you with fear instead of faith-change it.
Refuse to take the old roads of thinking and make new pathways based on God’s truth.
Make His way of thinking your new groove.
“My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith.”
James 2:1 MSG
Of all things that can influence how you live, public opinion is the least reliable and most toxic. It moves and changes like the tide of the ocean. Others will always have an opinion about how you should live. Let them have their opinions and let Christ have your allegiance.
He is your source of life. The author of your faith. Let him write his amazing grace upon your heart and allow his power the flow freely through you.
Other people will never be your source but they will always benefit from the fact you have one (whether they admit it to you or not).
Remember, people are not looking for your opinion either- they are desperately looking for love, God’s love, flowing through you.
Love them.
Serve them.
Forgive them.
Give them as much grace as God has given you.
Live out your glorious Christ-originated faith with passionate love and let all other opinions fall where they may.
Cindy Grasso 