Your New Brand

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Ephesians 4:20-24

Everywhere we look there is talk about rebranding which is creating a different image of what we want people to think about a person or a product or an idea.  One of the problems with re-branding is that it takes a while for people to accept the new image. 

In this same way, when we become new in Christ and change our behaviors, like the way we speak or treat people or respond to things that happen, it may take people a while to get used to us.  

Give your new brand a chance to settle in - you will be happier and so will those around you. 

I Need These

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Exercising these makes us better people.  

No Bone of Contention

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

Every now and then a friend will do something that we find offensive and they might not even know that we are offended.  

Rather than popping of at them, say we think a minute about what happened and the context in which it happened and decide if the action was intended to offend us or if it was them being them.  

By doing this, we might conclude that we can forgive whatever it was without even confronting the offender.  

No harm, no foul and no hurt feelings.  

God Is Doing Something

Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

When life gets so messy that we cannot see how things can possibly work out OK, God is there.  He has a plan and His plan is bigger than anything we can imagine.  

So, tough it out.  Don't give up.  Trust God.  

God is working for you.