Pastor Rick Warren has been speaking to me all year! No matter how many times I have failed at reaching my health goal, it is by his grace and mercy that I have another chance to get it right. If I focus on what God says, I can begin to visualize actually reaching my goal. His strength is made perfect in my weakness. “By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.” Romans 5:1 (CEV) If you’re like most of us, you could use a second chance to get healthy in 2014. A December 2012 Journal of Clinical Psychology report says the number one New Year’s resolution for the year was to lose weight. By the end of the year, only 8 percent of respondents had successfully fulfilled their resolutions — whether they were losing weight, getting organized, cutting debt, or something else. Even if you’ve made an ill-fated resolution to get healthy in 2013, 2012, 2011, or every year for the last decade, never forget that Jesus is all about second chances when you stumble. We can be grateful that his mercies are new every morning — and every New Year. Jesus said, “I didn’t come to condemn the world. I came to save it.” That means God didn’t stand behind you and shake his head disapprovingly when you blew your last diet. You don’t need to feel ashamed about your past diet failures. God isn’t ashamed of you. Too many people go through life feeling guilty, judged and criticized by God. They have no desire to spend time with the critical god they’ve imagined in their head whom they’re sure is disappointed in them. If you want to get healthy in 2014, that kind of thinking is counterproductive. To get healthy you need to accept that God loves you completely, totally, and unconditionally. Because Jesus died in your place on the cross, you are completely acceptable to God — no matter how many diets you’ve blown. Pastor Rick Warren
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:29:10 +0000
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