Renewed and Ready

7/21 - Jim Hohnberger

By: Pacific Press Author

When we learn to choose Christ as first, last, and best in everything continually, soon our choices become habits, and habits form our character.

For example, my family spent a month of the island of St. Croix. This island, a former Dutch possession, retains several European customs. The one we noticed most was driving on the left side of the road. I told the whole family they were going to help me drive because absolutely everything was on the wrong side. I had to force myself not to revert to old driving habits.

Amazingly enough, after thirty days I found I could drive about without even thinking about overcoming old habits. I had retrained myself, and now it was as easy to drive the new way as it had been the old. On our return to the United States, we wondered whether we would have the same kind of adjustment back to the old ways. There was no transition at all. We could still drive just the same as we always had.

Here is a lesson we could readily apply to the Christian walk. It is hard for us to change the manner in which we have always responded to God, and many who start to walk with God find it so awkward and so crucifying to their self-will that they are inclined to quit. Yet if they persevere, they will find it becomes easier and easier to submit.

[The choices we make] determine our eternal destiny as well as our present happiness. Escaping to God is simply returning all our choices to Him continually until habit becomes character and we are fully His!


From Escape to God by Jim Hohnberger, p 61

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