I’m not who I was.  And I am grateful to God for His regenerative work in my life.  I can barely identify with the person I used to be which is generally a source of joy, peace, and fulfillment.

However.  I’ve found in working in ministry it is important to remember my sin state.  As Ephesians 2:8-9 states that it is by grace I’ve been saved and not by works. It’s all of God’s work so I cannot take credit for the person I am becoming.  And so it is with people that frustrate me when the truth is clear and they don’t cling to it. When it’s obvious what the next step in their faith should be, but they don’t take it.

It is by grace that I am who I am. It is by grace that those who frustrate me will become who they will be in Christ. Because I am changed, I believe others will be changed. But the frustration is just a mis-remembering of how I got to where I am. I cannot boast. And I cannot be impatient with the work of grace in others, nor expect their journey to look like mine. I can rejoice in the grace continually given to me and keep moving on.

Philippians 1:6…