Thou shalt be called Cephas.
June 12th
Some of us have the new name in spots only, like spiritual measles.
Yeah, that'd definitely be me. While much of my pride and self-interest and, more noticeably, self-sufficiency have been wiped away, I still have quite a ways to go. I want to be a disciple, with my self-sufficiency completely erased from my life. Complete dependence upon the One that created me.
To say "Oh, I'm no saint," is acceptable to human pride, but it is unconscious blasphemy against God. It literally means that you defy God to make you a saint
Wow. I've never thought about it in that way. I'm not so sure I like that idea. I thought I was being humble, not undermining God's authority and power. So maybe not, "I'm no saint", but "I am a child of God." I must seek to abide in Him, to let Jesus be everything, then He will take me Home...
June 13th
The first thing we realize when we come to Jesus is that He pays no attention whatever to our natural affinities.
He does not demand perfection of us before we come to Him. We are to come as we are. That's a lot easier said than done. When He says "Come," my instinct is to say "Hang on, I'll be right there. Let me clean up this mess real quick..." But He is in control of my circumstances and my life. I should be trusting Him with all the things I want to be controlling. It's not a bad thing to not be in control, despite how I feel.