Scripture for Today:  Ephesians 4:1-2  “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.”

France is home to the TGV, the “Train Grande Vitesse.”  This high speed train has an average speed of 173.6 miles per hour!  It costs more to travel this way but easily cuts travel time in half.

The need for speed is something many cultures share.  Regardless of what country, there will always be drivers on the road who are in a huge hurry.  The left lane on major roads in France is not to be used except for passing.  When one violates this rule of the road, there are immediate consequences.  Someone is sure to be on your bumper breathing down your neck!

Our verse for today speaks of showing patience with others.  When I think about applying this to my attitude on the road, I see how far I have to go!  Impatience can show itself in so many ways: tailgating, cutting someone off, leaning on the horn or swearing.  My body can feel impatient with higher blood pressure, tensed muscles, or my personal favorite, biting the lip!

All of my impatient behavior, on the road or elsewhere, is not worthy behavior for the one who belongs to Him.  It does not show humility or gentleness, tolerance or love.  Somehow, in a church setting, I can hold it together for an hour.  But behind that wheel is my true test!

Showing patience for others is always a challenge on my own.  Thankfully, patience is a part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22.  The Holy Spirit has plenty to spare, even after showing ME patience!

Scripture for Today:  Hebrews 3:13  “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

We are having a terrible time with ice in our area.  It is making driving hazardous up the incline to our house.  The other day we got stuck, spinning our wheels in it.  Our neighbor very kindly helped us push the car.  Even walking is difficult.  We feel like we are ice skating!  Walking under the icicles can be lethal!

The snow is beautiful but the ice can be a killer.  The temperatures start to warm up and the surface begins to melt.  Then the temperatures drop and everything becomes hard and slippery.  Many meetings and events have been cancelled because of it.

Our verse for today is a warning.  The deceitfulness of sin can harden a heart.  The longer one denies wrong doing, the more difficult it is to hear His still small voice of conviction.  The more one indulges in a sinful behavior, the more likely it is that the heart becomes hardened and deceived.

When I listen to Him my heart is soft and open, like fresh powdery snow.  When I ignore His conviction, what was soft and melted becomes hard and defensive.  When I rationalize what I am doing, I deceive myself.  Sometimes I am not even aware of what I am doing, until the hardness of my heart makes me slip and fall!

There is an urgency in this verse.  Hardened hearts do not improve with time.  They only become harder.  Today is the day I need encouragement to obey.  Today is the day I need to encourage others to obey.  Lord, do not let me ever be hardened towards You.

Scripture for Today:  Colossians 3:9-10  “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him –“

I love living in France and seeing the old next to the new.  Side by side the old looks older and the new looks newer.  Pictured here is the beautiful Louvre in Paris, built in the late 12th century.  But as you can see the Louvre’s newest addition, the pyramid, looks much more modern and new having been built in 1989.  For me the contrast is striking!

Our verse for today talks about the old and the new for the believer.  Although we are a new creature in Christ (II Cor. 5:17) the old self is still hanging around.  As long as we live on this earth in the flesh, we will always need the reminder in these verses to “lay aside” or “put off” that old self.

We have a new self.  Someday, the pyramid of the Louvre will begin to show signs of age.  One day, it will no longer look so new.  Already, the French press were talking about renovations needed at the occasion of its twenty-year celebration.  But our new spiritual selves are continually being renewed by Christ Himself though His Word.

Every time I lay aside that old self, I am cooperating with Christ’s renewal in me.  Every time I choose to obey Him rather than having my own way, He is bringing me closer to His image.

My prayer today is that I will clearly see the contrast between the old and the new in myself.  I pray that in my communion with Him, my new self will be renewed!