___________LESSON TEN__________

The Way of Renewal

Alex Lee      

            For the past couple of months we have been learning “how to abide with Christ”.  This was a lesson series about the man himself, Jesus Christ.  I don’t know about you, but when I say Jesus Christ to myself, I stop and say, “Yeah, I know Him”.  However, throughout these months I noticed that I didn’t know Him as much as I could have.  There was a lot to learn when it comes to walking with God.  The lessons were great and I really got something out of them, but there was one specific chapter that seemed to hit me square in the heart, “The Way of Renewal”.

            “The Way of Renewal” means having a greater desire to work for Christ and to be willing to change in order to serve Him. Renewal itself means to refill or to make whole again.  When you first become a Christian and you have just been saved by the wonderful grace of God, boy does it feel great!  But we notice as we continue on with our lives, God desires a change.  He wants us to change from the sinner He knew before, to the Christian He wants now.  This will only be accomplished if your heart is willing to obey.  That’s where faith comes in. Renewing yourself is a promise to God that you wish for a better life now as a Christian. And when you are renewed, God applauds you.  But you cannot get renewed (snap!) just like that, it takes patience and faith.

First you must desire renewal.  Before we were born, God created a will for you and me.  He has created a will to know Him and to walk with Him.  God wants us to go his way, but the flesh says no.  Our sinful instincts tell us to go one way while God leads us the other way.  Then the Holy Spirit comes in and takes us Gods way.  God provides us with a spirit to lead us to Him.  Knowing God and the Spirit can lead you to a greater change in your heart.  “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”- Matt. 5:6

Secondly, you must seek renewal.  Psalm 105:4 tells us to “Seek the Lord,”.  With a determined and devoted heart, you can find God’s will.  To be determined, learn to love the word of God.  The bible is there to help you through your walk with God.  You must also have devotion. A strong love for God can lead you to make the right goals, and soon lead you to Him.  I thought that making God the 1^st priority in my life was going to be easy, but it’s not without a love for God.

Lastly, you must abide in renewal.  I have experienced this at first hand.  When you establish a life for Christ, temptations and sin seems to look much sweeter.  But that great faith you held through your growth to become a Christian leads you to making the right decisions in life.  Abiding in renewal means to continue to walk with Christ through the beautiful and the stormy days.

Abiding in renewal is having a changed heart for God and using that changed heart to have a relationship with Him and to become a disciple for Him.  Finding God will lead to a lifetime of joy. God can not promise sunny days every day, but with faith, even the storms will look beautiful.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me”- John 15:4