There throngs willing to listen who needed to hear.

There were disciples seeking training and teaching.

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” –Luke 5:16

There were people to heal.

There were lost souls to share the Gospel with.

There were places to get to, people to avoid, people to save.

“But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” –Luke 18:16

There were false accusations.

There was so much to explain to save the day.

There were loved ones, true believers, looking on confused and despairing.

“But Jesus gave no answer.” –Luke 23:9

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When I think “But Jesus,” I’m usually calling for His might and strength and power. I want to share that there was a big challenge- but Jesus overcame it. Or that I had a big question- but Jesus gave the answer.

But Jesus often doesn’t do what worldly wisdom says makes sense.

But Jesus often doesn’t do what worldly wisdom says makes sense.
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We’re called to live this kind of “but” too.

There is the temptation to aim for greatness.

There is the suggestion that greatness means we can do more for Jesus.

There is a false belief that God’s main goal for us is to feel great.

“But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.” –Luke 22:26

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There is a drive to always be improving on everything.

There is value placed on the new, changing, and evolving.

There is a dismissal of old ways as lesser and old convictions as ignorant.

“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.” –2 Timothy 3:14 (see 2 Timothy 4:5 also)

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There is a myth that pursuing money is a necessary evil.

There is acceptance that discontent is a good motivator and lust an effective change-agent.

There is a push for flattery, pride, and selfishness being requirements for surviving this world.

“But you…flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness… Remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.” –1 Timothy 6:11; Jude 1:17

In what ways is Jesus leading you to live differently? To go against your natural inclinations in order to be more like Him?
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{A version of this post was previously published here}

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LINKUP is open. Join my friend @bethanymcilrath as we look at instances of 'but Jesus' in the Bible and the ways we're also called to live differently. Share your blog with us too!
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There hardly is anything more challenging for human beings than committing to change. Whether it is changing how we think or act; overcoming weaknesses or implementing new habits, the old maxim “you cannot teach an old dog new tricks” is indeed, to many of us, as true as it is sad.

I thought about that as I talked to someone this past week. Once again, this person reacted to a situation in a way that only brings pain to herself. Impulsivity got the best of her, and, before she knew it, hurtful words poured out of her mouth, pushing someone away.

Sigh.

“How much does one have to lose before they change?” I thought to myself.

Truth be told, we all struggle with that, in one way of another. As Tolstoy’s quote from his political manuscript “Three Methods of Reform” states, we have ideas about changing others, but hardly recognize how much we ourselves must change.

This is true concerning all aspects of life. We plant our feet on social or personal behaviors that may have worked in the past, but do not work anymore. We say things that we shouldn’t… and repeat them once more. Bad habits remain unchanged. Sins continue to master over our lives. We settle in our ways and refuse to move. In the process, some of us collect a long list of losses, heartbreaks and even enemies. All because we refuse to look within ourselves and, not only acknowledge our flaws, but take steps toward change.

During one of his missionary journeys across the Roman empire, the apostle Paul established the church of Ephesus, located in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), where he spent three years. Later, while in house arrest in Rome, the apostle wrote the letter to the Ephesian church, which is believed to have been written as a circular letter, to be sent to all the churches in the area. In that epistle, Paul does not confront the church with any particular issue. Rather, the apostle used it to instruct believers on key elements of the Christian faith, as well as affirm the nature of the church — believers were to understand that they are showered with God’s kindness, brought near to God, chosen for greatness, and empowered to overcome all weaknesses.

Believers must understand that they are showered with God’s kindness, brought near to God, chosen for greatness, and empowered to overcome all weaknesses.
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On the fifth chapter of the epistle, these sober words jump off the page: “See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.” Or, in other words, “Don’t just aimlessly, carelessly walk through life. Live carefully, act with purpose.”

The word “circumspectly” here is the translation of a Greek work used in accounting terms referring to precision, careful counting.

It means we are to live with precise, deliberate and calculated movements. It means we make a decision to change our ways before we are confronted with the next challenge. It means we bite our tongue when tempted to lash out, or leave the room when feeling our blood pressure rise. It means we avoid situations where things that tempt us are freely offered, and intentionally walk past places we should not enter. It means we pray before acting … and do not move until we have peace to do so.

It means we commit to change. Not others, but ourselves first.

“That’s the way I am” is simply not the great excuse some people believe it to be.

As I think about my own life, I realize how much my relationships changed after I understood that God freely gives us the power to overcome our weaknesses, whatever they are. For many years, I lived by Frank Sinatra’s motto and “did it my way.” The results were nothing to brag about. It was not until I surrendered my weaknesses to God and started doing things His way, that I was able to change my record (no pun intended).

Today, when tempted to impose change upon others, I confront myself first. If everyone did the same, we might not be able to change humanity as Tolstoy envisioned, but we can certainly change our families. Perhaps (wild thought) … even our country.

This article was originally published on Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday – November 9, 2018.

When tempted to impose change upon others, I confront myself first. If everyone did the same, we might not be able to change humanity but we can certainly change our families. Perhaps even our country.
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Commit to change. Not others, but ourselves first. “That’s the way I am” is simply not the great excuse some people believe it to be. #changeYourLife #MondayMotivation #MondayMorning @AJC
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The post Want to Change Others? It May Be Simpler than You Thought {The Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

I hit the pause button on the episode of my favorite TV show and picked up a notepad. The powerful visual was too good to dismiss. It is true and I could certainly relate. I used to go sailing in a bay in the shores of South Brazil, and what the character described is exactly what often happened when I reached the open ocean with my small Laser boat. As long as I stayed inside the bay, it was fairly easy to navigate the waters. But if I ever decided to venture out of the bay and into the open ocean, I would invariably lose wind. On peaceful, windless days, I would get stuck for a while, until I tried a different tack. Once I did that, my boat would continue to sail on my adventurous course into the high seas.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results. On the TV show I was watching, the father could not build a good rapport with his adult son, no matter how hard he tried. He kept giving the son advice, reaching out to him, only to realize that the harder he tried, the more the son would distance himself from his anxious father. The frustration for losing control of the situation sent this father on a whirlwind of emotions, as he stubbornly tried to gain his son’s respect by repeatedly doing the same wrong thing one more time.

We can’t seem to help it, can we? We want to do what is right, but find ourselves repeating the same wrong patterns that are so engraved in our souls. We want to continue to eat the same way and nevertheless lose weight. We want to behave the same way towards our spouse and expect romance to bloom. We keep on giving our children little attention and want them to behave better. We keep on sailing in the same windless sea, using the same tack. In our stubbornness, we wish to obtain change without changing. Insanity.

The apostle Paul opened his heart when he spoke of this cruel trait of mankind. We want to do good, but often don’t. Why? Because we can’t do it on our own. Our flesh was born with the dogged tendency to follow its own desires, even after obtaining the same bad result, over and over again. Our only hope is if we allow God to change us first. Only he can change our hardened hearts. Nothing and no one else can. It’s so very true. Whenever I try hard to control my life, I seem to only reinforce the definition of insanity. But each time I give up trying to control my circumstances and, instead, yield them into God’s mighty hands, he faithfully breathes new wind into my sails; guiding me to the course he has planned. Indeed, I believe true change only comes when I allow God to change me first. I don’t like it. Not a bit. But as I look back, I have to say that my best journeys have been those which I allowed Him to direct, bar none. It’s one act of trust at a time. It’s less doing and more listening. Less hastening and more waiting. Only then can we truly find the right wind and smile, as we realize that we are finally sailing on the right course.

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. Her first book “12 Inches: Bridging the Gap Between What You Know about God and How You Feel” is now pre-selling at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and other retailers worldwide. Visit her blog to read her devotionals at www.soaringwithhim.com or email her at pholbrook@soaringwithhim.com

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