Set Your Course:There's a Difference

There's a difference between

 a hazy and a sunny day
a sense of duty and loving service
obligated relationships and enjoying people
a handshake and a hearty embrace
enduring an adventure and enjoying an adventure 

Hey, there’s a difference between

a trudge and a walk
gritting one’s teeth to face a challenge and positively embracing it
hanging onto the past and learning from the past
wishing time away and savouring the moment 

Yes, there’s a difference between

treading water and swimming
existing in and living in the present
choosing what is good and what is best
acknowledging God and adoring worship
recalling others’ past sins and keeping no account of them
recognizing others’ help and gratefully appreciating 

Yes, there’s all the difference in the world between 

a dreary  sky and an inky sky arched by a rainbow
sticking to ‘safe boundaries’ and climbing over ‘our fences’ to love and serve
saying ‘I will’ and doing the thing
Christian service and a life of love lived all for Jesus’ sake!

Which one of these is ‘us’ does not firstly depend on our genetic make-up or our background, who or what we happen to be as people. It largely depends on the mindset we choose to adopt: we set our minds, our hearts, like the wheel of a ship, on the course we choose to follow. Yes, it’s no easy task, for like a ship, we face squalls, buffeting and storms of the utmost severity. Yet, it makes the difference, the difference, let’s say, between death and life. As Paul says, “the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace”. (Romans 8:6 NASB.)