Most of the mechanisms God uses to transform us into Christlikeness aren’t big; they're small. They are the series of choices we face day after day. This is how Paul described growing in Christ – not as something exciting, but as a methodical process akin to that of athletic training:
Just a few blocks from the east side of downtown Houston is the cultural home of a longstanding and historic Mexican-American community. Walls are decorated with murals that recount their history. Across town, just west of the first interstate loop is a small commercial district named the Mahatma Gandhi District, an official title granted by the city in 2010. Go a few miles further west down Bellaire Boulevard, and the street signs eventually turn into Chinese.
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I opened my Bible this morning, the day after our nation’s epidemic of school shootings pierced the tight-knit community we called home for almost a decade, to a familiar psalm. King David writes, “God, hear my cry; pay attention to my prayer. I call to you from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength” (Psalm 61:1-2).
While you may be all too aware of recent tragedies, most younger kids probably aren’t even aware—thank God. To some extent, ignorance may be the best plan.
January is an exciting month with new opportunities. A new calendar is full of possibilities. Many state resolutions; others make commitments or goals. Don’t you love the potential of a new year to become a new you? What if the new year and new you brought about a new church too—a church eager to bring the hope of Christ to a lost world?
