"Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience. Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life." Galatians 6:1-8 (The Message)
Not only have we been given a physical heart that we must take care of, we have also been given a spiritual heart that requires just as much, if not more daily scrutiny and care. This fast, along with my walking, is oh so good for my heart in both realms. So many times in scripture God reminds us how he is much more interested in the condition of our spiritual heart than anything else. When the prophet Samuel arrived at Jesse's house, seeking to anoint the new king of Israel, he was reminded by God that the chosen one wasn't going to be who everyone would obviously pick by judging outward appearance. Time after time, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for having a holy, righteous outward appearance, yet filthy, rotten, judgemental hearts.
Have you ever tried to drive straight while being distracted by something behind you? Where ever your eyes lead, the rest of you will follow. It's impossible to stay on our own path if our focus is on another. We all have been guilty of this at one time of another, but if we truly grab hold of this idea of staying focused on God and His path for us, what freedom!! It is so easy for us to take our eyes off of our own life, our goals, and our divine path, and compare our life to that of someone else. I am convinced that all the devil needs to do to render us ineffective is to just distracts us from our purpose and plan of God for our life. He doesn't have to make us fall into deep sin or renounce God, but just get us off course ever so slightly, and take our eye off the prize, which is running the race that God has set before for us!
I want my physical heart to become strong! Even more so, I want my spiritual heart to beat with passion and zeal for all that God has planned for my life, whatever that might be. My life will not look like anyone else's life. No one else will be as excited about my life and my purpose than me. The purpose and plan God has for my life can not be fulfilled by anyone else but me, and no one else's life will ever satisfy me more than my own. That, my friend, is real freedom!
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