This great book begins with something that should be obvious to us, yet too often we miss it and do not understand why our Christian life may not be as fulfilling as God desires it to be. The issue is that we attempt to continue to live this New Life in Christ apart from Him. As Dr Stanley says, living with this mentality of “do the best you can,” does not bring about any lasting change in us, because any “…change is usually motivated by guilt and consequently short-lived.” (p3) This is you and me still trying to be holy and good and perfect…and the truth is, we can’t! We can’t, apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, that is. He is the Giver of Life, not us. So if we really want to live this New Abundant Life, then we must choose to live the same way we were saved, by Grace through Faith. (see Eph 2:8 & Gal 3:1-6)
Again I say, the problem is we continue to TRY to live this New Life apart from the Holy Spirit, but we must learn to TRUST Him instead. Trying is you and me living in our own limited power, with our own limited resources and our own limited understanding. Note all the “limited” in that mentality? How can we have the consistent peace and joy we long for when we try to live that way? But living through the Holy Spirit, listening for His guidance, allowing Him to direct our steps, delighting in doing things God’s way? There is only one way to do all that, we must stop trying and start trusting. This requires something from us, yet it is the only Way to enjoy and share this New Life we now have in Christ.
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
<>< Peace, Diane
