From Death to Life

 I live in a beautiful area. Many flock to my area to see all the leaves changing colors. Yellows, reds, and oranges color the hills and mountains. As we look at the trees, we think beautiful. However, what we actually see death. As the weather becomes color and the days shorter, the pigment in leaves, chlorophyll, breaks down leaving the orange and yellow pigments, carotenoids behind. The leaf also forms a layer at the base of the leaf, cutting the life system off. This results in the leaves dying. However, the cycle is nessessary in order for the tree to conserve energy during the harsh winters. In order for life to continue for the tree, something needs to die. When we look at our spiritual lives, it's very similar.

 Hebrews 12:10-11 ESV For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

In order for our spiritual lives to reflect Christ and His beauty, we must die to things that hold us back from Him. Can you lay down things that keep you from fully relying on God or following His will for your life? Those things may not even in themselves be sinful, but they just get in the way of fully trusting God. When God prunes our spiritual lives, He may ask you to remove relationships from the past, places you may have haunted, or even things that once entertained you. Why? Because the goal is through the death of ourselves, we become a little closer to God than we were the day before. And who doesn't want to be as close to God as possible? 

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!

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