dickbraswell

Word for Today:  September 2

Be a healer

I’m not talking about laying hands on the sick.  I’m talking about healing relationships.  Healing divisions.  Healing differences.    Building bridges and not walls.  Take down the fences and open the gates.

Our past religious traditions have built enough walls, we are called to tear them down and build bridges in their place.

According to the Word, believers are living stones.  We are to be collectively built up into a Spiritual House (not houses, plural) but a House (singular).

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house…   1Pet 2:5

In the past we have been divided, and put in piles…. separate piles.  Different piles.  Race piles, culture piles.  Diverse piles.  God wants us to be One Pile not many piles.

• We have had Baptist piles
• Methodist piles
• Catholic piles
• Presbyterian piles
• Pentecostal piles
• Episcopalian piles
• White piles
• Black piles
• Hispanic piles
• Asian piles
• Native American piles
• Rich piles
• Poor piles
• Educated piles
• Uneducated piles

God is calling us to One Pile so that He can build a Spiritual House… and that is what happens when we make a determined effort to heal broken and bruised relationships.

Be a Healer today

Word for Today:  September 1

Put it off.

In Ephesians Paul speaks about the New Man and the Old Man.  He tells us to “put off the old man” and “put on the New Man.”

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  Eph 4:22-24

This is an act of the human will.  We determine what we “put off” and what we “put on.”  It is a decision we make.  It is basically not a very spiritual decision, it’s simply a choice we make.    Just as we decide what clothes we are going to put on each day, we can also decide to put on all the benefits of the New Creation Man each day as well.

I like to visualize literally putting on all my New Creation provisions as I put on my clothes each morning. Then I make a decision to “wear them” through all the situations and challenges that come along during the day.  The Word tells us to “put on” the New Man with all his privileges and provisions and to “put off” the old man with all his lack and need.  All his weaknesses and limitations. All his frustrations and temptations.

This speaks of personal action that comes out of the human will.  You either will to do it or you will to not do it.

If you do it you get the results the Bible promises and if you don’t you won’t.

So do it