BE THE DIFFERENCE YOU WANT TO SEE

I love the phrasing going around about “being the best version of yourself.” Even the question

about what could you do today that will positively impact your future self? Or, knowing what

you know now, what advice would your present self give to your past self?

Seeing that I pray daily for wisdom to encourage God’s people to acknowledge the Lord in all

their ways, the best version of myself is an evolving goal. It is not always in the “being,” is it? It

is in the passion to pursue, discovery of purpose, and commitment to the process.

In January, our church, like many churches around the country, if not the world, observe a time

of Consecration. We set aside days at the beginning of the year, to seek God through fasting,

prayer, scripture reading and study. The theme of our 2023 church Consecration was

Commitment 21: A Time of Rededication, and our study was the book of Isaiah. It was 21 days

of seeking to rededicate our lives unto Christ. Personally, I had to seek the Lord as to the

meaning of recommitment, and what it looks like.

I learned commitment involves trusting God (trust with ALL my heart, hmmm. Proverbs 3: 5-6),

what it means to fear God (fear is the beginning of wisdom, Psalms 111:10), obeying God (I

Samuel 15:22, partial obedience is still disobedience, and God would rather have obedience, than

sacrifice. Ouch). And let’s not forget truth itself, the boldness needed to speak truth in love

(Ephesians 4:15), and the love needed to partner with compassion in order to walk with Christ in

Isaiah 61: 1-3.

Twenty-one days was not enough, which I believe was the Lord’s point. This is not something

we do just to get through it, but rather to grow closer to Christ and in Christ. In February, a

friend of mine asked me to lead an afternoon Bible study on how to retain what we learned

during Consecration. As I prayed and prepped, the Holy Ghost was quiet. I had several notes, but

felt led to focus on the recent public occurrences where

God is front and center, from the

miraculous recovery of Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, where we witnessed a football field and stadium seats filled with heads bowed in prayer on national television. The outpouring of

revival during morning chapel at Asbury College in Kentucky, that is still going on as of this writing, is causing people to catch flights to experience the Presence of God outside of traditional sanctuary spaces. The Christ of the Gospels is doing what He did before – coloring outside the lines and drawing people to Himself.

God is not calling us to get ready, He is calling for us to be ready and stay ready, to do His

bidding, and move at His beckoning.

The morning after the Bible Study, God began to make things plain to me in prayer. I asked

Alexa to play, “Alone in His Presence”, by Cece Winans. Alexa responded in that conversational

robotic voice, “For Love Alone”, by Cece Winans. Huh? I listened to the words of the song,

and Cece sang about pursuit, purpose, and the process. All the characteristics of commitment

began to make sense. God is not asking me to live a legalistic life of “duty” following by rote.

He is asking me to live a life of love, which encompasses all of the above. He is not asking me to

DO; He really is asking me to BE in love with Him.

I John 4:16 says God is love. My better self will find all that I need to accomplish His Will, in

the true pursuit of Love alone.