Speaker: Dave Nelson

Theme: Transformers

Weekend Music links on iTunes: All Over the World - Matt Redman, Let the Praises Ring - Lincoln Brewster, Happy Day - Tim Hughes

Read: Jonah 1:1-5, Jonah 2:10 – 3:5

Think: This Sunday, we continued the series “Insomnia….what’s keeping you awake” looking at Transformation with Dave Nelson. We see that transformation is a process, not an overnight event but a slow movement to the destination.

Something I have learned this year is that we are often not aware of the transformation until it is pointed out to us. We see our own progress as slow and unproductive.

I have been blessed this last year to be part of a growth group of wonderful people. One week we shared areas of our lives that we felt had blessed us despite being challenges. I shared about my temper, the ability to go from placid to volcanic in 10 seconds. It has been a challenge for me all my life to contain my temper and in doing so I have learned more about myself and an awful lot about self control. Both of these things I feel have helped me in parenting my children as well as making life more pleasant for those around me. My teenage years I remember as the hardest with much time spent alone in my room so as to not vent on someone else. With God’s help and patience I have been working through this issue as we all do and when sharing it felt so much smaller than it used to.

Sadly, those who know me from my teenage years are still nervous of my temper but as I shared with my Growth Group I saw nothing but surprise. While they believed I may have had a temper, one even called me the ‘most calm, peaceful person’ they knew. Only when they said they couldn’t even imagine me angry did I realize it has been years since I felt anywhere near the same anger I used to feel. While I wasn’t looking, God made a transformation in my life, honoring my desire to be more like Him and my prayers for His help with the process. The change wasn’t overnight as I would have wished, but over 20 or so years. I can sense a deep change within as He is moving me closer to who He wants me to be. Sadly those in my life that have known me for those 20 yrs don’t see the change as they still remember clearly what I was like. Perhaps that is often one of the things that makes it hard for us to see changes within ourselves.

The Bible if full of people who were transformed over time to be better versions of themselves; Rehab, David and Moses to name a few. Jonah went from running from the Lord in pride and anger at the people of Nineveh to obedience and acceptance to God’s will for his life. (Hopefully for most of us it will not involve being swallowed by a large fish!)

Do: Thank God today for the changes He is making in your life that you may not even be aware of. Talk to a Christian friend about any areas you are or have struggled with and pray for each other remembering to be gentle in opinions but also share when you see growth in someone else. We all need to hear when others see good change in our lives.

Pray: Lord we thank You that change can happen in our hearts. Thank you for standing alongside us and giving us the strength to continue even when it seems to be getting us nowhere. We ask that you would put people in our lives that can encourage us in our efforts and thank you for the blessing of those who are doing that job already. Please help us to be an encouragement to others and to support them through their transformations. Amen

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

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