As we come to a new year, we are changing the look of the blog. It's time for a redesign, something new, something exciting.
A new year is an ideal time to make changes. Are you making changes? Any resolutions?
Perhaps more importantly, are you allowing God to make changes in you? I'm not talking about resolutions here, I'm talking about the new life God wants to bring to you. When you put your faith in Jesus, He promised to transform you into the very image of Jesus. But you have to let Him.
I. How do you let God work in you?
You let God make these changes in you by putting yourself in places where He can reach you. the Christian Disciplines are those places. Daily devotions, regular church worship, daily Bible reading, and Bible Study with a group of believers, are all examples of places where God can work in you.
In Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline, he outlines three major types of discipline, all designed to bring into a place where God will change us into the image of Jesus.
II. What are these disciplines?
Foster's three types include:
1. The Inward Disciplines: including meditation, prayer, fasting, and study - these are the things you do by yourself, things that no one else sees.
2. The Outward Disciplines: including simplicity, solitude, submission, and service - these are things you do in the company of others, how others see your life of faith lived out.
3. The Corporate Disciplines: including confession, worship, guidance, and celebration - these are the things you do together with other believers, often in worship services or prayer gatherings.
So as the New Year starts, I encourage you to think about where God is working in you, and make sure you're letting him there. Reflect on your practices of the Christian Disciplines - that's where God is at work!
Back to the new look of the blog - What do you think? Let me know, leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.
And I truly wish you the very best of New Years. May 2014 be the best yet!
Steve
