Thoughts from Rev. Ken Miller
CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK
It is that time of year again. Time when we make New Year's Resolutions. I made my share over the years. Some of them were:
All of these have been mentioned by most of us over the years. We have good intentions. We know that we could do better. However, it is just so hard to do, and often we feel defeated. Why? Because we are trying to change ourselves by our own will power. The truth is, we have limits to our power. In the book "The Purpose Driven Life", Rick Warren compares using our will power to a boat that is set on automatic pilot. If it is going east, you could overpower it and make it go west, but there would always be that tension to go in the other direction. Instead of using your power, begin to use the Power of God. Listen to Romans 12:2 "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." In other words, let the Holy Spirit guide you into doing things Christ's way. First you think like Christ, then you act like Christ. What people really need is not just the power of self, but power of the Holy Spirit.
With the helper (John 14:26) by our side we can be victorious. Then when we say; I am going to be on time, we will be! I will eat less and exercise more, we will! I will lose weight, we will! I will be more faithful in church attendance, we will!
The more we think like Christ, the more we become like Christ. This can only lead to a better and a more fruitful existence. But the key is Changing How We Think. Paul said "There must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes." Ephesians 4:23. This is a changing your mind - which is the the essence of Repentance, looking at life God's way instead of your own --- Let's have a great year as we take on the mind of Christ.
In His Service, Ken
(Ro 12:2, Phil 2:5, 1Co 2:12, Eph 4:23, 1Co 13:11)