New Memories of the Jesus life.

Christmas time brings up a million memories… I think now that I am getting a little older they flood in from many different directions…. I’ll watch a movie and it will make me think of some good memories… I will think of someone who is not here with us anymore and have fond memories of them….

I have to be honest, sometimes very unpleasant memories come up and it is something that I have to ask Jesus to help me deal with….. He helps me categorize, compartmentalize and sometimes bury the ones that cannot help me to become more like Him…. It is a strange thing, but I have to do the same thing with the memories that make me feel good…

Memories are our history…. It is a good thing to share our history with people who are influenced by us…. As with all history it is important to be accurate as possible… I have heard people talk about their memories and try to make everything sound perfect…. It is kind of funny when someone describes an event that you were involved in and it doesn’t seem like the same event…. I truly believe that it is important to be as honest as you can without being intentionally hurtful……

Some folks might say it is better to not know all of the facts…. The problem is there people like me who won’t be prepared for the real world if their history has been skewed…. I don’t believe that you have to always tell everything that has happened… However, if you see someone getting ready to repeat a real screw up then you should at least tell them about the time it happened to you….

So, I really want to tell you some ways to make as many good memories as you can…. Just remember this… You can’t always do something about other people’s actions, but you can avoid letting that person influence your family, if you know that they will create bad memories for you and your family… It sounds like I am being judgmental doesn’t it…. No I am just saying that if a person has a history of hurting folks then protect your family from them….

The next thing is let God and His word be the starting point for new memories…. Circumstances will always dominate if they are not filtered through God’s word…. For more than half of my life, so far, I was a lost man with no real recollection of the influence of Christian believers…. If you are a believer, start making memories for other folks….. People need to see and remember that you are a follower of Jesus Christ… It should not be just the way you act that creates memories…..Your life has been changed to the point that the difference is remembered by other folks…..

Here is how that happens….. First, you have to have a trusting belief or Faith that Jesus can change you from the inside out…. That happened when Jesus died on the cross for your sin…. Do you really believe that?……. If your answer is yes, the change inside of you can start….. If you are not sure or you don’t really believe that Jesus has removed your sin, then it is impossible for you to begin the process of change….. God will reveal Himself to you if you ask him to….. God reveals Himself through His word the Bible…. He will speak directly to your heart as God the Holy Spirit applies His word to your life…

The change inside of you is the result of a two part process…. As you surrender the parts of your life that does not look like Jesus, God the Holy Spirit starts to reveal Jesus in and through you….. That is when the good memories start…. Those new good memories will overpower the old memories to the point that they don’t matter anymore…

The change in you is that you are conformed to the image of Christ Jesus… You can get some understanding of what Jesus looked like by studying the gospels and seeing how He lived His life while he was here on earth…. But the true change comes when you understand His sacrificial death and live your life like that…..

Romans 12:1–2 (NLT)

A Living Sacrifice to God

And so, dear brothers and sisters,* I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.* ² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Philippians 2:1–15 (NLT)

Have the Attitude of Christ

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? ² Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁶ Though he was God,*

he did not think of equality with God

as something to cling to.

⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges*;

he took the humble position of a slave*

and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,*

⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor

and gave him the name above all other names,

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Shine Brightly for Christ

¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

John 1:1–14 (NLT)

Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word

¹ In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

² He existed in the beginning with God.

³ God created everything through him,

and nothing was created except through him.

⁴ The Word gave life to everything that was created,*

and his life brought light to everyone.

⁵ The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness can never extinguish it.*

⁶ God sent a man, John the Baptist,* ⁷ to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. ⁸ John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. ⁹ The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

¹⁰ He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. ¹² But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³ They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

¹⁴ So the Word became human* and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.* And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

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