Osteen Reveals Keys to Becoming a 'Better You'

aligirl »

Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:44 pm Agree: 12   Disagree: 3

Here's my spin: I was raised a Christian, with the incorrect understanding that yes, God forgives my sins and loves me, but He still wants me to "perform" like a Christian. So I followed all the rules and based my opinion of myself on whether God was pleased or dissapointed in me, related to my performance. I grew into a habit of relying on myself to become "holy", putting an enormous amount of pressure on myself, and even those around me to be a "good Christian." Just recently through an extremely painful situation, I have come to realize it's not about following the rules! And it's not always about ME! God has enough grace to love me ALL the time. It's the Holy Spirit's job to change me from within, and out of my love for God and acceptance of His forgiveness, I am worthy! What a miserable existence I had before understanding this concept! Now I feel free to love God and do His work without the pressure of being perfect, and without being so focused on MYSELF and my performance.

So in relation to Joel's message of self-improvement, can you imagine the Christians out there who are under an enormous amount of pressure like I was to live up to Joel's lists? Here's my message: realize what God is offering you with His grace and forgiveness. Do something for someone else instead of living YOUR best life. Live God's best life that He created for you! He knows better than we do what lies ahead and He has a purpose for each of us...so get out of the way with your "to-do" lists. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all of these things will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33