God can make us new women this week. Are you willing to commit to his compassionate, transforming work?
“No promises yet, sorry. It’s Wednesday already, also. Added” (signature) “Thursday after day 5”
Write down some other attitudes that belong to the category of “bad.”
“Lazy, selfish, pleasure-seeking, comfort-loving, work-avoiding, worldly and pursuing worldly pleasures and happiness.”
[starred for emphasis] Anytime we choose to consistently live with an attitude different from the attitude of Jesus, it’s just downright wrong, not to mention miserable and embarrassing.
I have alluded to this before, but in what ways were you dead before Christ made you alive?
“I couldn’t be sin-free enough to enter into God’s kingdom and presence without Jesus’ saving blood.”
Jot down a few thoughts about your specific “dead” places.
“I have always preferred play over work. I am stubborn. I like the path of least resistance – if I appear well-behaved, it is because the consequences of misbehavior aren’t worth the effort and stress. Also, I am prideful.”
Did God break the bondage of sin in your life a long time ago? If so, are you learning to live have according to the Spirit who lives in you?
“I am a believer. I am in Step 5,” that of sanctification, as listed on the previous page, “but I don’t always/often make the effort to avoid my favorite pastimes which don’t in and of themselves seem sinful. They are when I overdo and neglect other duties, including this study and other times with the Lord.”
Dearest Rachel –
The last question – or rather, the answer to it – is probably the crucial one here. For all the many times you acknowledge that you were lazy, stubborn, selfish, and so forth, the fact is that you are – were – a believer. You were on the path to sanctification, a path that none of us can complete on this side of the veil. It’s what makes all of the difference in the world; the only reason that I can take confidence in the fact that you in heaven with Him.
But on this side, you were still well aware that the ‘bondage of sin’ was never completely broken, since you still had those human impulses to deal with, like we all do. It’s something not everyone would be expected to admit to, given the wording of the question. But it’s a fact that our human nature is still something to contend with for all our days of humanity – and sometimes, we would just rather be human. It’s a difficult impulse to shake, even with acknowledging that it runs counter to the attitudes we are meant to have as followers of Jesus.
For what it’s worth, I’d like to state that you continued to work on these attitudes throughout the rest of your days, but it’s true that they weren’t ever completely beaten. You weren’t brought home because you’d accomplished everything you needed to in your life, but because you’d done everything God assigned to you.
There’s not much more I know to add to that right now, honey. All I can hope is for me to try to apply this to mine own life and attitudes. Wish me luck, honey… I’m going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 