PLEASE DON'T CHANGE
PLEASE DON'T CHANGE
I was talking to a friend on the phone the other night, and she told me, "Joy, I am so afraid that you being in prison will change you." We were talking about the profanity I hear all day, and the things I've seen while in prison. I quickly reassured my friend that I was still the same, and this experience would not change me.
A couple days later God reminded me of that phone conversation, and I started to think about the word "change." First of all, I am so glad I serve a God who is always the same. A God, who never changes. Malachi 3:6a "For I am the Lord, I change not..." Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." During the past few years when there has been so much change in my family and in my life, God's consistency was the one thing I could always count on as I felt my life was falling apart. The fact that God still loved me and forgave me when I confessed my sins was so refreshing and reassuring when others rejected and condemned me. Everything could fall apart, but I would be okay clinging to Jesus.
Second of all, I wasn't exactly right when I told my friend that prison wouldn't change me. No, I won't leave prison swearing like a sailor and be unrecognizable to my friends, but this experience has changed me a lot. It has humbled me. Proverbs 16:19 "Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with pride." Prison has opened my eyes to the importance of sharing the gospel with everyone. John 4:35 "...Lift up your eyes , and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest..." Matthew 9:37 "...The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few." This experience has forced me to trust the Lord. Isaiah 26:4 "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Proverbs 118:8 "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." It has made me truly appreciate my friends. Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loveth at all times..."
I'm glad I am changing in ways that please the Lord. I don't want this time in prison to be a waste. God is working in me, and my prayer is that upon my release each of you will notice the changes in me and give God the glory for them.
I was talking to a friend on the phone the other night, and she told me, "Joy, I am so afraid that you being in prison will change you." We were talking about the profanity I hear all day, and the things I've seen while in prison. I quickly reassured my friend that I was still the same, and this experience would not change me.
A couple days later God reminded me of that phone conversation, and I started to think about the word "change." First of all, I am so glad I serve a God who is always the same. A God, who never changes. Malachi 3:6a "For I am the Lord, I change not..." Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." During the past few years when there has been so much change in my family and in my life, God's consistency was the one thing I could always count on as I felt my life was falling apart. The fact that God still loved me and forgave me when I confessed my sins was so refreshing and reassuring when others rejected and condemned me. Everything could fall apart, but I would be okay clinging to Jesus.
Second of all, I wasn't exactly right when I told my friend that prison wouldn't change me. No, I won't leave prison swearing like a sailor and be unrecognizable to my friends, but this experience has changed me a lot. It has humbled me. Proverbs 16:19 "Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with pride." Prison has opened my eyes to the importance of sharing the gospel with everyone. John 4:35 "...Lift up your eyes , and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest..." Matthew 9:37 "...The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few." This experience has forced me to trust the Lord. Isaiah 26:4 "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Proverbs 118:8 "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." It has made me truly appreciate my friends. Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loveth at all times..."
I'm glad I am changing in ways that please the Lord. I don't want this time in prison to be a waste. God is working in me, and my prayer is that upon my release each of you will notice the changes in me and give God the glory for them.
Un abrazo enorme Joy, El Señor te guarde y cambie segunda voluntad. Bendiciones
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