Do Better!

When my boys were still boys, occasionally Mister Bill and I would call a "family meeting." That meant when all activities were halted and the five of us came together [basically] for some "do-better" conversation. Oswald Chambers ask this question, "If Jesus Christ is going to regenerate me, what is the problem He is up against?" In other words, if there's really going to be a change in my life, what's got to happen? That do-better family meeting was a time when Mister Bill and I brought to light some things that as a family we needed to be aware of; often it wasn't anything earth shattering but small things that were hindering the smooth-running wheel of family life. As sinners, however, the issue at-hand is always a big deal: sin. Paul uses a beautiful phrase that describes the eternal change that comes to be in the new heart of a Believer: "Christ formed in you" (Galatians 4:19, ESV). Interestingly, when Christ is "formed" in us, we don't just do better, we are changed from the inside out. Because we ARE a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17), we want to DO better - all because of the righteousness that Jesus has put within us! I must admit, those family do-better conversations were usually fairly effective ... at least for a time. What confidence we have in knowing who we ARE because of and in Christ, and by His grace empowered to ... do better!