John 15:10
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
One of my all time favorite teachers and speakers is Dr. Howard Hendricks who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary. I once heard him share that early in his life he spent much of his time and effort in trying to change his wife, his children, and his students. The harder he tried, the less change he saw. (Isn’t that strange?!)
It suddenly dawned on him that he was going about it all wrong. He came to realize that he needed to change his wife’s husband, his children’s father, and his student’s professor. It reminds me of that old song: “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”
Howard began to pray for the Lord to make him a better husband, father, and teacher. Amazingly, his wife changed, his children changed, and his students changed! What had happened? He had stopped preaching at them and had started living his faith before them.
It may be easy for us to intellectually agree with this concept, so why is it so hard to put it into practice? It is simply that we live by the flesh and not by the Spirit. We must live in constant relationship with the Lord and allow Him to show us what to do—then how and when to do it.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil