God has been teaching me a lot lately. I haven't ever felt so spiritually alive as I have now. Why? Two reasons: 1) I'm spending much more time with Him and 2) I said yes to Him (more on that later). How much time? An hour a day, sometimes more. It's amazing. I recently finished reading through the entire Bible for the third time. This time it took me seven months. Not too shabby. (What am I saying? I'm really proud of myself!) Also, I've read my Bible and journaled everyday since December 13th. Consistency and time combined with reading The Purpose Driven Life has caused me to grow leaps and bounds spiritually. What specifically? Several times the past month or so He has lead me to James 4:8. I love the book of James. At one point in my short life, I had the first chapter memorized. I want to memorize the second chapter, as well as refresh the first one. Some day... Anyways, James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." This verse shows that you have to act in order to be changed, you can't just wait for Him to do something. Part of His nature is that He doesn't force Himself on us (as evidenced by the fact that He doesn't force us to love Him). In order to accomplish real spiritual growth, we first must draw near to Him by changing our thinking, as The Purpose Driven Life states. How? Behind every action we need to think, "Is this bringing glory to God? How can I make it bring glory to God?" Whether it be simply listening to more Christian music or saying "yes" to a mission trip, changing our thinking will change the way we live. Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything. -Qi.
What has He been pressing on your heart lately?
-Emily
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