NO LONGER I

So I was thinking today- really thinking about a lot of things. Today my thoughts included (but were not limited to): who my real friends are, how am I living (or not living) a life that glorifies God, what am I doing to be a better mom, a better wife, why do women have babies in groups (I have 7 pregnant friends right now- all due around the same time), why am I so motivated in my head but cannot seem to transfer the motivation to my heart to get up and get back out there after being ill? So as I am sitting there mulling these (and many, many other) thoughts over in my head, one imparticular sticks out to me- the one that begs the question "How am I living (or not living) a life that glorifies God? It keeps playing over and over in my head like a CD that is scratched and wont stop repeating itself. So I wonder- what AM I doing to live a life that glorifies God?

Then I broke it down. In each individual area, how am I working towards living a life that completely honors God- in every area? The answer: I am not. I want to but I have not been. I am like Paul- the very thing I want to do, I cannot seem to do. Why? The next answer: because I am trying to do it in my own strength. The book I am writing is called: NO LONGER I. I am writing this book to encourage others to live in the power of Christ's strength but I, my self, have been struggling to do it all in my own strength. It's kind of odd how I turned in to a hypocrite, but it's also really cool how God took my thought process there today so that I could understand this. The book is being written out of the heart of a changed woman. I believe the verse reads: "For I have been crucified with Christ and it's NO LONGER I that lives, but Christ who lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the son of God who loves me and gave himself for me." WOW!!! What a refreshing thought. I have been crucified with Christ and I NO LONGER LIVE! I love it. It's a promise. A hope. I am not bound to my old ways. I have been saved my grace and been set free to live "by faith in the son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me." Seriously? Seriously. So what am I doing to live a life that honors God? I am dying to my self daily. I am making a commitment to do this- to die to my self and to allow Christ complete freedom to live (and love) through me. Beautiful.