Choose Joy - Happy 11th Anniversary!
As we celebrate 11 years of God’s goodness, we continue to hold onto the hope and restoring nature of His grace! We can opt to intentionally choose Jesus every time — whether you are faced with challenges or opportunities — because when we make things about us, we end up losing focus (Psalm 115:1, 9). As we choose God’s way as best and as often as we can, we become changed by Jesus to live like Jesus. To be changed by Jesus is to grow spiritually — choosing formation instead of stagnation — and that means being willing to surrender and submit to be formed by God. We then can live like Jesus — choosing mission — to share His love with a dark and dying world (James 2:14; Mark 8:34-35). Just as the church cannot love its relevance, Christians cannot lose our identities. Yes, we have faults and fall short, we might regret our pasts, but that’s now how God sees us. There might be things we feel we just can’t shake (past regrets, mistakes, missed opportunities), but choosing God first allows us to stride forward to His best for our lives (2 Corinthians 5:16-20).
Points To Ponder
1) Will I commit to choosing Jesus every time, no matter the circumstance?
2) What does it mean to be changed by Jesus?
3) How can I emulate Christ and live like Him?