I used to have a bunch of trophies. They were trophies of college accomplishments in basketball.  Rookie of the Year. Rebounding Award (2). MVP (1).  Outstanding Player (2) Field Goal % (1).  There were others which I can’t remember. Sounds like I’m bragging but I’m not. I pitched them all. They were relics of the past, a past no longer relevant. They measured my capabilities from 1970-1973. They were an example of what I used to be able to do. I pitched them in 2000 when we moved, but they had not seen the light of day in over 20 years. To compare myself in 2000 to 1973 was no contest. To do so now would be downright ugly. 🙂  Time, age, and injuries have a way of bringing reality slamming home.

I sometimes try to do the same spiritually. I want to rely on what I learned in the past rather than seeing it is “now” that matters. I want to rest on my laurels instead of forging ahead with new resolve. But God’s grace and God’s way of doing things is not resting on the past, but moving forward with new life, new purpose and a new resolve. He gives me His power to do that. “I have been crucified with Christ…nevertheless, I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me.” All the power I need is not in my past; it does not rest on my laurels; it is now!  Christ lives in me. I need not rely on my own strength.

“Father, You gave me You in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is Your strength I need. It is Your wisdom I crave. It is Your grace and power which is so essential for my identity. May I find all I need, all I am, in YOU, the One who has taken up residence in me.”