Devotional for January 30, 2015
I don’t do New Years resolutions,
however, this year, after struggling with the same issues within
myself for the past couple of years, I decided that 2015 was my year
to truly dig in and be honest with myself about some long standing
issues, as well as the hormonal issues giving me the ups and downs of
the most recent times. I chose “Faith” as my focus to really
work on. Last year I had gotten a small tattoo that I would see
daily to remind myself to continually have faith. Of course the
tattoo is an excellent reminder, but, I still did not truly practice
a constant life of faith. The old stubborn habits were still
overpowering my thoughts. Knowing something and actually doing
something are two completely different things. I love the scripture
Colossians 2:7. The normal biblical translation that I read is the
NIV, as quoted below:
Colossians 2:7 New
International Version (NIV)
7 rooted and built
up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness.
However, I was paralleling it with some
of the different translations, just for my own knowledge and
comparison, and during that time I completely fell in love with the
wording in “The Message”, as quoted below:
Colossians 2:7 The
Message (MSG)
From the Shadows to
the Substance
6-7 My counsel for
you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve
been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him.
You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him.
You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught.
School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And
let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
I have read this over and over again in
the past couple of days, because it just never fails to amaze me how
great our God is!! How He knows it all. As I originally read this
passage, a warmth came over me of complete calmness, yet, at the
same time, such excitement due to the fact that those words were
speaking directly to me. This was exactly what I had been
doing…..reading, studying, writing…. all things “faith”,
however, I was not living in it! When I actually began to LIVE by
faith my days became so much better. I am able to see the good
instead of the bad, the happy instead of the sad, and the joy instead
of the hurt. I can see what I have been blessed with instead of
seeing what I wish I had.
Living IN faith truly gives me an
abundance of smiles, hugs and gratefulness. So much more than I ever
thought I could or would have. Thank you, Father for giving me the
heart to see and feel the tremendous beauty of my life here on earth.
Amen!!
written by Kelly Dobyns
Song: What Faith Can Do - by Kutless
Beautifully said! Thank you, Kelly.
ReplyDeleteMay you feel His Amazing Love throughout all of your days!
Thank you, Lynda!!!
Delete