The Way (that leads to life) is straight and narrow. Because there's only one way  to truly live: Living by loving. Because living and loving aren't just connected... they are the same thing. Let me connect two verses of Scripture to try to make this point. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death" (1 John 3:14). When you hear the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) and believe that Word... that's when you know you have passed from death unto life. Because that's when you start actually living. Not going through the motions, or wandering around like the walking dead. Chasing the carrot but always only getting the stick. Trying to earn your bread with the sweat of your brow. That's not living. Because if you work for a living, why do you kill yourself working? And, listen, I'm NOT saying you shouldn't work. Paul wrote, "for even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). That's not the kind of bread I'm talking about. I'm talking about the bread from heaven. Manna. Or, if you want, the hidden manna. The white stone with your new (true) name written in it. The truth that is available to those with an ear to hear. Hearing the Word is the first step. Yesterday we spoke about training up a child in the way he SHOULD go. Building up instead of tearing down. Telling people what's RIGHT with them instead of what's wrong with them. That Word from behind (the first, and really only, Word God ever spoke) that redirects us when we turn to the right or the left. When we were dead in our trespasses and sins (before the cross) we went left, right, and center. Trying to get whatever we could however we could. Doing the best with what we had while believing that we didn't have anything. Weren't worth anything. "I'm just a sinner," right? And even now I keep hearing, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace." Well... if you've been saved by grace (and you have!) then you aren't a sinner anymore. You're a saint. You were quickened. Brought back to life. And not just life, but Jesus' abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love! Not so that you could keep trying to do it yourself. Because nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. We can't follow in His foot steps. But Jesus can, and will, live His own life in you, and through you, and as you. Filling you up with love so that you can fill yourself up with what you've been filled with and let it out. Jesus can, and will, make His own foot steps with your feet. He can, and will, speak His Word with your mouth. That's what happens when you let the mind of Christ (that's already in you) BE in you. When you USE what you've got instead of trying to get something you think you haven't got. When you know what you have--who you are--you can experience it by giving it away. Because what you have is love. Who you are is love. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. And that's how you stay on the right path; by giving what you've got. By letting God love you and loving others with that same love!

Here's what love does: Love picks you up when you've stumbled and fallen. Love brushes you off and tells you that you can keep going. Love isn't negative. He is positive. And that's why I always key in on one certain word in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." The word I always key in on is "should." Train up a child in the way he SHOULD go. Stop giving kids (and people in general) so many things they SHOULDN'T do... and focus on what they SHOULD do. I'm telling you, if you're fighting AGAINST something you're in a losing battle. Because just simply by focusing on it--even in an attempt to not do it--you're empowering it. For example: If you're focusing on not going to the bathroom... you're still thinking about the bathroom. Your mind is fixed on it, and even though your intention is to avoid it... the more you think about not going, the more you'll need to go. But if you focus on something else, you might not even need to go. Because you aren't even thinking about it. Basically, what I'm trying to say in my wander around and hope I make my point way, is that we oughta be on a righteousness hunt instead of a sin hunt. We ought to tell people what's RIGHT with them instead of always harping on what's wrong with them. Condemnation does not make people change. If anything it reinforces the incorrect image they probably already have of themselves. To the point where they think either, "Well, that's who I am. Everybody can see it. There's nothing I can do about it." Or they think, "If that's how everybody sees me anyway, that's how I might as well be." Why don't do the crime if you're already getting sentenced for it. That kind of mindset. And that kind of mindset can be fatal. Because it doesn't offer any hope. It is the GOODNESS of God that leads to repentance. And repentance is thinking again, or thinking differently, about something. Thinking differently about YOURSELF when you hear the TRUTH about yourself. Not feeling like you have to keep going the way you were going. Because you hear a voice from behind you (the truth about you right now, not something that you could attain someday if you try hard enough) putting you back on the right path. The straight and narrow path (that is love) that leads to life. There's nothing wrong with straight and narrow. There's nothing wrong with standing on the Rock and not being shaken. You don't have to go along with everything you hear. And you don't have to believe everything you think. You can think again. You can get past what you've been conditioned to think and you can let the mind of Christ (that's already in you) BE in you. You can USE the mind of Christ. You can think the thoughts of God. You can hear, and speak, His Word. Especially if someone else has been filling you up with it. Training you up in the way you SHOULD go. The Way. Upward and God-ward. Love, love, and more love. Just love. Only love. That's the Word. That's the Way. Love doesn't just light the Way... love IS the Way. So give what you've got--love--by knowing and believing that you've got it. By receiving and releasing it. Receiving BY releasing. Releasing BY receiving. Love doesn't condemn. There is no condemnation in Christ. So encourage people. Root for people. Cheer for people. Help people. Love people. That's the Way to live!

Love leads the way. Because love IS the way. And the truth. And the life. But we'll get there. The Word of God (which is Jesus, which is love) is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Another way of saying: Follow your heart. If your heart doesn't condemn you, you can trust that you're right where you need to be. You can trust your gut. If something feels... wrong, or bad, or even just a little off... listen to that feeling. God gave us instincts. We ought to use them. And while it can be argued that self-preservation is an instinct that we should not ignore... I'm here to tell you that there's a more excellent Way. (See what I did there?) And, if you read the chapter following 1 Corinthians 12:31, "But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way," you'll see exactly what that more excellent way is. Its 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Also known as the love chapter. The big long list of what love is and isn't. The personality profile of Jesus. Which is simply a mirror in which we can see who we really are. Because Jesus is God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. Who we are in Christ is who Christ is in us. Who we are in love is who love is in us. And we seem to think the idea of this "straight and narrow way" that leads to life is about us following a list of do's and don't's in order to get somewhere. When really the Way that Jesus is, is the never-ending eternal life-long journey into the heart of the matter. Which is the heart. Learning how to love as we learn how we are loved. By letting God love us. Not by trying (and failing) to earn something that can't be earned... but by receiving the gift we've already been given. Receiving it and releasing it. Receiving it BY releasing it. Releasing it by receiving it. But pastor... what about when I mess up? I'm glad you asked. Look at Isaiah 30:21, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." I love this memory verse. I really do. Partly because it says "when" you turn to the left or right. Not "if." When. Because we DO mess up. People make mistakes. All of the time. Every day. But that doesn't disqualify us. Listen to me: Jesus became sin for us so that we could be the righteousness of Christ in Him. That doesn't have anything to do with our actions. When we mess up we don't "fall from grace." Falling from grace is putting yourself back under a law that was never given to you in the first place and trying to earn your bread with the sweat of your brow instead of just receiving it from your loving heavenly Father. So WHEN we mess up, there's a voice behind us. A voice that has always and will always speak the same Word. The Word that gets us back on track. Not, "You messed up." Not condemnation. The Word, as always, is love. And love picks us up, dusts us off, and equips and empowers us to keep going. One more time for the cheap seats: Love doesn't just light the way, love IS the way. The way to life. And by that I mean to way to live. Living is loving. Loving is living. You can't have one without the other or do one without the other. So when you mess up, you're still the righteousness of God in Christ. Daddy still loves you. Recalibrate and get back on with living. With loving. With following your heart wherever He leads!

This one might take a little getting into. So let's get into it. First of all, John 14:6 says, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So what we're talking about (as always) is Jesus... love. LOVE is the way, the truth, and the life. So let's just get that settled. The reason God's Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path is because love lights the way. Love IS the way. You want to experience life to the fullest? You have to live a life of love. Because living and loving aren't just connected, they are the same thing. You can't have one without the other. That's why so many people are miserable--they waste their lives looking for love in all the wrong places, instead of going to the source. You can't find love anywhere else than the God who IS love. You can't fill a God-shaped (love-shaped) void with anything else but God. But love. And watch this: "...straight is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14). And, unfortunately, we've taken that to mean that we have to modify our behavior and fit into a very small box in order to get into heaven someday. When, as always, Jesus was talking about LIFE. And He was talking about HIMSELF. HE--LOVE--is the straight gate and the narrow way. Straight and narrow because love is the ONLY way to truly live. Again: Living and loving aren't just connected. They are the same thing. Its not about trying to be someone you're not in order to get something you think you haven't got. Its about knowing who you really are. Who you are in Christ which is who Christ is in you. Its about embracing your new (true) self. And here's where I wanted to get to today. Here's where I think I'm gonna be for the next few days: "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God" (1 John 3:21). And to me this simply means, "Follow your heart and you'll be ok." Trust your gut. If you have a bad feeling about something... don't ignore that feeling. And if something feels good on the inside... it probably is. I know we've been conditioned to believe that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. But I heard the other day that your first response to something is what you've been conditioned to think. And your second response is more true. So think twice sometimes. Don't want something just because someone tells you you should. Don't just go along with any old thing. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. And that thing you should stand for... is love. (That's also the thing you should stand ON, so you won't be shaken.) So if you don't know what to do, do what you know. Love people. If you're heart doesn't condemn you, you can have confidence that you're on the right path. Going the right way. And I'll tell you right now, there have been times in my life when I've done this, "Of course I know that's a horrible decision... but I'm doing it anyway." Ignored what I knew was up. And it never goes well. Never ever. Because life can't be lived--truly lived--when you're on the wrong path. When you're going the wrong way. But here's the good news: God allows U-turns. In fact, I'm convinced He encourages them. But we'll get into that tomorrow. For today I just want to say, and say, and says... trust your heart. Your heart knows the way. Your heart IS the way!

When you practice what you preach you let what's inside come out. Naturally. Because while practice DOES make perfect (we've kind of looked at that), love is our new (true) nature. Love isn't just what we do... it's who we are. Because God is love. And He lives in us. Loves in us. Loves THROUGH us. So while I can see how it SEEMS like a shift (the transition we looked at in the last Rant series) what is really happening is that we are BEING who we really are as we LEARN who we really are. Let me say it like this, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen" (2 Peter 3:18). Grow in grace. And grow in the knowledge of Jesus. Jesus is our true identity--God in the flesh, love in a body... God in OUR flesh, love in OUR body--so growing in the knowledge of who He really is is growing in the knowledge of who WE really are. And maturity IS a process. You don't start something "new" and immediately know exactly how to do it. There's a learning curve. There's room to make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. The key is to let what's inside come out, instead of trying to force things that are without... in. That's why the Law of Moses was doomed to fail; it demanded perfection without being able to produce it. All the Law could do was point out what was wrong with us, without being able to help us with it. So then Jesus came and fulfilled the Law. He basically said, "There's nothing wrong with you. You just don't know it because you don't know who you are. Because you don't know who I am." See, Jesus did not come to save us from an angry God. God is not mad at you. He's mad ABOUT you. Head over heels in love with you. Jesus came to show us that love. The love from a Father to a Son. The love that gives everything it (He) has and everything it (He) is. That's love. Giving. And you can't give what you don't have. You can only give what you do have. So you need to KNOW what you have. You need to grow in the knowledge of who you are. And when you know who you are, you can BE who you are. Instead of, "God give me patience," we can say, "Thank you for being patient with me. I know I can receive and release that patience." If you know you have it, you can use it. You can share it. You can give it away. And when you give it away... that's how you experience it. Receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. Release it by receiving it. Just let God love the hell out of you and you WILL love the hell out of people. You'll be so full of it that you can't keep it in if you tried. If you wanted to. Which you won't want to. Because that love is so good that when you know you've got it, all you want to do is make sure other people know THEY'VE got it. Because that love is what we all need. More than anything else, we all just need to be loved. And notice, I don't say "want" to be loved. We straight up and down NEED to be loved. Living is loving. Loving is living. You can't have one without the other because they are the same thing. So all these things we've learned--head knowledge--need to start being put into practice--heart knowledge. Where the rubber meets the road... that's where things are real. That's where we can truly live. Because we can practice what we preach. And the more we practice loving, the better we'll get at it. And that's the whole point of the whole thing!

When I first joined the ministry, my mom would always call me a PIT (Pastor In Training). And, to be perfectly honest with you, I thought of myself as a "preacher." I preached the early morning service on Sundays, an occasional Thursday night service, and that was about it. I helped out where I could, but I preferred to just kind of stay in the background. Hard pass on the spotlight, and thank you very much. But after a while I started to feel like I wasn't doing enough. And if you're anything like me, you feel like that a lot. Restless. Whatever the opposite of complacent is. So I really started to focus on the idea of, I guess, "living up to one's potential." Another way to say that might be, "practicing what you preach." Because I was preaching a lot. But that was about it. And then Ephesians 4:1 hit me in the heart, right between the eyes, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." And, specifically, that phrase: Walk worthy. Kind of the idea of "dressing for the job you want, not the one you have." Of going the extra mile instead of just barely doing what is required. So I made a speech before service one day about how I didn't just want to be the Sunday morning speaker. But, instead, if anybody needed me for ANYTHING, I'd be around. And I saw a few people in the audience--and, yes, its true that there were only a few people IN the audience--look at each other and smile. I heard later on that my pastor said, "That's what I've been waiting for." And here's the thing: He didn't push me. He knew what was up, but he let me get there on my own. He gave me space and grace to learn and grow. And, I mean, I don't think I was doing BAD, or doing WRONG by just preaching... but I also think the Lord always has more for you. Exceedingly abundantly more than you could ever ask or think, right? Because what God wants more than ability is AVAILability. "Here I am, Lord. Send me." That type of stuff. And that's when I feel like I truly became "Pastor Tom." It had said that on my Bible for a while, but it took ME a while to understand what it meant. To embrace my EPIC destiny. My Eternal Purpose In Christ. And, listen, I'm not saying you have to be a pastor to make a difference. When you love someone... you make a difference. Period. But I'm trying to illustrate the truth about how important--and how powerful--it is to actually practice what you preach. To walk worthy. And there's that word again: Walk. I heard a preacher talk about being "content by not satisfied." Which is to say, not complaining about where you're at, but at the same time continuing to move forward. Upward and onward. Upward and GOD-ward. Because you can't walk by faith without walking. And when you practice what you preach, that's where the rubber meets the road. That's where people know what you're about because you're physically about it. I think people believe me when I tell them I've got their backs... because I'm there for them when they need me. All you've got is your word, right? So make it mean something. What you believe dictates what you do. What's inside comes out. So make sure you believe in something that's worth believing in. Have faith in God. Have faith in love. And let that love guide you into the life you were meant to have!

Theories are nice. But when you put what you believe into practice, that's when things really get going. That's when things get real. And here's the deal: I always talk about letting what's inside come out, right? Well, the deal is, what's inside DOES come out. All of the time. Or, rather, what you BELIEVE is inside comes out. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. That's why hurting people hurt people. And that's why loved people love people. What's inside comes out. It has to. Because whether its good, bad, or ugly, its too big to keep inside. Did you ever notice how people who don't display a lot of emotions eventually blow up? Because it builds and builds and builds until it has to blow. There's not enough room to just keep it all bottled up. Which, of course, is why we need healthy ways to express ourselves. And, again, theories are nice, but you have to put things into practice. You have to try things out. See if they work. And then, by putting them into practice--by practicing what we preach--we can let our practice make perfect. Instead of blowing up, we can being to practice self-control. Which, I always like to add, is a fruit of the Spirit. Grace isn't about just doing whatever you want whenever you want. All things are lawful, but not all things edify, right? Just because you CAN do anything doens't mean you SHOULD. And if you're spending your time judging people (PLEASE don't spend your time judging people...!), and then you're doing things you shouldn't be doing... well, that's why "Christians" have the reputation they do. Instead, practice what you preach. Make sure you're doing what you can do, instead of worrying so much about what other people are doing. And this isn't being self-centered. This isn't trying to get things at other peoples' expense. This is just taking care of business. Making sure you're doing what you should be doing. Focusing on God's love for you is what allows it to come out. Filling yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Receiving and releasing. Receiving BY releasing. Releasing by receiving. Its the Holy Spirit wildfire that feeds on itself (HIMSELF) and consumes everything EXCEPT itself (Himself). Love feeds on love. And nothing can stop love. And watch this: With my situation that I alluded to the other day... getting less than I could have is actually going to be more in the long run. More peace. More peace of mind. More relationship. If you can--I was going to quote the story about the guy who got his debt forgiven and then refused to forgive the debt owed to him, but I ran out of room. If you can let someone off the hook... they'll stop wiggling. And they might just end up an ally. They might just end up giving because they're not obligated to give. And even if they don't, the reward of doing a good things is to have done it. You can't preach forgiveness and mercy and love and then crush people when you have the chance. One more time for the cheap seats: Theories are nice. But when you put your beliefs into practice, that's when things get real. That's when things get powerful. That's when love as an idea becomes charity--love in action!

Here's a movie line for you, because you know how much I love movies: "You know how you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice." And while yesterday I was talking about practicing what you preach in order to not be one of those judging, hypocritical "Christians" people are so quick to holler at... today I want to talk about how practice makes perfect. And that seems to be an idea we lose sight of so often. We expect people to be "perfect" all of the time. And by "perfect" we mean doing whatever WE want them to do at the time. We don't give people room to be... people. And that's not ok. Because people are going to be who they are no matter what you want them to be. Or do. So putting expectations on people is going to frustrate US more than anything else. I don't think there's any better way to set ourselves up for disappointment than to have expectations. And its not ok to not let people be people because THEY will get frustrated with US. Resentful. And then they will run FROM us (and God) instead of running TO us (and God). So when someone is new at something... maybe give them time to figure it out. Give them grace to grow. Don't slam them for making mistakes. Because let me ask you this: How can someone learn from their mistakes if they never make any mistakes? And if someone is afraid of making mistakes... how are they ever going to be able to try anything? Trust me. I know this from experience. My kid doesn't want to do something unless he can do it right. And that's really hard. Because most of the time you have to do something wrong BEFORE you can do it right. Learning. Growing. Practice makes perfect. Maybe you tried to forgive someone and it turned out you were still pretty raw about it. That doesn't mean you give up on forgiveness. It means you need some practice. And I've heard the idea that when you ask God for something (patience, for example) He gives you opportunites to do that thing. Opportunities to be patient. So you can learn by doing. Doesn't mean you'll do it right the first time (or every time, for that matter), but as long as you're moving forward it doesn't matter how fast you go. And even if you take some backwards steps--it happens--you can still get back on the right track. You can let what's inside come out. Even if its sloppy at first. Even if it doesn't go the way you think it will, or the way you think it should. Don't give up just because you're not a black belt master right away. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. And you have to LEARN how to do things right. And--watch this now--learning by doing is a good way to go... but a more excellent way is telling a master teach you. That's what a disciple of Jesus is; a student of love. Learning how to love as we learn how we are loved. Letting Jesus love the hell out of us so we can love the hell out of each other. Filling ourselves to overflowing with the love that we've been loved with. Practice what you preach. But don't get discouraged if (when) you mess up. Because practice makes perfect. Learn from your mistakes. Don't beat yourself up over them. And let other people do the same. Don't beat people up over mistakes. Teach them how to love... by loving them. Teach YOURSELF how to love by loving people!

As in, "Practice what you preach." As in, "Put your money where your mouth is." As in, "Where the rubber meets the road." Basically: Charity. Which is love... in action. And that, to me, is one of the coolest things about Jesus. He didn't just spout off a bunch of stuff that sounded good. He said something... and then He did it. He said, "Turn the other cheek." And then when people were beating on Him, and spitting on Him... He turned the other cheek. He said, "The greatest love a man can have is to lay His life down for His friends" (I'm paraphrasing, not quoting directly). And then He went to the cross and literally laid His life down for us. See, Jesus said a lot of things that even His own disciples didn't understand. But actions speak louder than words. The old saying, "Preach the gospel at all times... and if you have to, use words." Pretty simple. Pretty powerful. But here's what I want to say today--and I have to say it today because it literally happened yesterday--when you have a chance to practice what you preach... do it. Even though people might not understand. And here (without getting too detailed in order to protect the innocent) is what I mean. I had a chance to really get ahead financially. But it would have done some damage to people not name me. And from most people's point of view it would have been nothing less than justice. "Its not your problem if it hurts them. They brought it on themselves." Logic like that. Which is hard to argue with. And you know I'm a fan of logic. Logan talks me into things more often than not because he uses Logan Logic. And if I can't argue with it I'll go with it. (And, yes, with Logan I tend to lean on the side of hooking him up regardless. That's 100% true. But remember how we're trying to treat EVERYBODY like their our favorite? Blessing those that dispitefully use us? And here's the thing I always come back to: Every "issue" is really about people. And people are important. I think God and people are the only (or at the very least the most) important things there are. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. So I felt like it would be a little bit hypocritical of me to talk about how wrong it is to climb over someone else in order to get ourselves a little bit higher... and then do that. Even with "justice" on my side. Basically, I'm trying to say that if you have to hurt someone else... its not worth it. Even if they've hurt you. Even if they WOULD hurt you if the situation was reversed. That doesn't matter. What matters is what's inside YOU coming out. What matters is not telling people what happened and then having to explain it because they can't believe that you did what you did. They don't need to understand it. YOU need to be at PEACE with it. Because while money IS necessary to live... peace of mind is priceless. And when someone who doesn't expect mercy gets some... that's about as powerful as it gets. When you can "let someone off the hook" instead of using your "power" to crush them... that's TRUE power. The power of love. The power of giving instead of getting. And, as I'm hoping to get into in the next few days, when you actually practice what you preach... that's when it becomes REAL. Real to others... and real to you. You receive by releasing. By giving what you've got. By practicing what you preach!

The biggest mistake I think we make--Spiritually speaking--is trying to do things ourselves. Trying to make things happen. And, worst of all, trying to make something happen that happened 2,000 years ago on an old rugged cross. I believe that when Jesus was speaking in John chapter 10 about the thief and the robber... He was talking about religion. He was talking about US trying to enter the sheepfold any other way but the door. After identifying HIMSELF as the door. Basically saying, "You can't do it yourself. And that's ok. Because I don't want you to do it yourself. I don't even want you to try. Because the harder you try to earn something that can't be earned... the more worn out and frustrated you're going to get." We rob OURSELVES of the gift we've been given by trying to earn it. You can't earn a gift. Period. A gift is freely given and must be received. So stop trying to make the transition. Stop trying to "turn over a new leaf" or any of the other self-improvement catchphrases we are so fond of. Its not about a new leaf. Its about a whole new tree. Get off the tree of death (the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Stop trying so hard to do good and not evil. Guys. Good AND evil are on the same tree. Jesus didn't come so that we could have a moral code to follow. He said it Himself like this: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). And life--living and loving... living BY loving--is the only true moral code there is. Loving everybody no matter what. Turning the other cheek. Going the extra mile. Truly living by truly loving. Laying your life down for your friends. Giving everything you have and everything you are and expecting nothing in return. We don't love in order to get. We love because we have something to give. Because love IS giving. That's what God gave us when He gave us His only begotten Son. When He gave us His Spirit. When He gave us Himself. He gave us the ability to know and believe His love. And in knowing and believing it... we can receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. Release it BY receiving it. Because when you receive it, there is too much of it to keep to yourself. And its too GOOD to keep to yourself. Remember the song lyric? "What you got if you ain't got love? The kind that you just want to give away..." That's what God gave to us when HE made the transition from Old to New. When HE did all of the heavy lifting to bring us out of death and into life. Before the cross we were dead in our trespasses and sins. And no matter how hard we tried there was nothing we could do about it. Until God Himself wrapped Himself in human flesh and took our sins away. Forgave us our sins. Brought us out of that bondage and into the freedom of the Promised Land. The land that flows with milk and honey. The days of heaven on earth. So stop trying to get something you think you haven't got. Stop trying to be someone you think you're not. God made you in His image in the beginning. And He conformed you into the image of His Son on the cross. You HAVE transitioned. You ARE who you need to be. Who you are in Christ, which is who Christ is in you. The Old HAS passed away and the New HAS come forth. That's where we are now. In a new dimension of life. A new dimension of love!