Day 22 - Phoebe Lee
Is there a specific Bible passage or verse that comes to mind in the context of “Less of Me and More of Him”?
Matthew 5:46-47 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Upon reflecting on these verses, what stood out to me was how Jesus explains why we should love those who are difficult to love— If we are people who proclaim to know and follow God, should we not live differently? And yet, this has not been the case for me.
Recently, God has been showing me the extent of my sinfulness and selfishness that come from compromises I have been making as a means of self-preservation and comfort. Truthfully, I don’t want to do many things that please God, such as loving those who hate me, reading His Word daily, praying continuously, and considering others before myself. If I’m being honest, this is because I don’t want to give up my time, energy, and effort to Him.
However, in this Lent season, I want to change how I live and align myself more closely with Him. Rather than do what is easy, I want to put to death that part of myself and instead do what God wants. If I’m not choosing what is most pleasing to Him, which is often more difficult, what differentiates my life from those who do not know Him? Though living for God requires more time, energy, and effort, I want to actively make that choice and practice it more and more.
Briefly explain which areas of your life you find most difficult to surrender to Christ.
It’s difficult for me to surrender my time to God because I prioritize what I want to do, running in the morning or watching TV after a long day of work. But if I can wake up early to exercise or have a couple of hours to unwind after coming home, why do I say I do not have enough time to spend with Him? I’m willing to move around other items in my schedule to fit in the things I want, but why am I not putting in that same effort to pray and read His Word? That should be more of a necessity, but I treat it with little importance.
I want to challenge myself to, once again, do what is difficult. Spending intentional time with God does not come as naturally as it once did. But I hope to grow in discipline and reform it little by little. In doing so, I want to grow in my relationship with Him so that more than relaxing or unwinding, the time I spend with God would be my priority and also my favorite part of the day.
Share the areas of your life that have shifted from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness.
Honestly, I’m still a very self-centered person who lives for herself. As God reveals this to me, I’m overwhelmed by how He genuinely cares for me. It sounds paradoxical, but by highlighting my wickedness, He has also demonstrated that He does not want me to continue to live like this. By showing me my inherent, sinful nature, the need for a savior is so apparent, and it makes me see that I must turn to God. As repentance leads me to go to Him, pray, and meditate on His Word, I trust that He will gradually change how I think, act, and live, allowing me to better imitate Christ and live a more Christ-centered life.
What are some practical ways you can display Christ to those around you?
When it comes to displaying Christ to those around me, Matthew 5:16 comes to mind. I’m reminded that my lifestyle and good works should lead others to glorify God. Practically, this can manifest in a lot of different ways. In my workplace, it means working hard, being mindful of how I interact with my coworkers, and not grumbling. With family, it means displaying patience, picking up tasks I may not want, and letting go of arguments. At church, it means serving faithfully, loving my fellow brothers and sisters, and giving up my comfort for the sake of others. This is not to say that I can or will perfectly do these things, but I hope to challenge myself to better remember and follow through on them.