When I look back over my life, I don’t see one big, dramatic moment where everything suddenly became perfect. I see countless small mercies, like gentle waves, reshaping the shoreline of who I am. I see how the Lord has taken what was broken, restless, and unsure and has been patiently trading it for peace, purpose, and hope. I knew the words of faith long before I felt the weight of them. Now I’m learning, with Paul, that “the gospel of Christ… is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). That power is not just a doctrine on a page—it’s a living force of grace in the heart that yields.
One of the sweetest truths the gospel has taught me is that salvation isn’t only what God did for me at the cross, but what He is still doing in me today. He is shaping my character, sanding down the rough edges, and teaching my heart to resemble His. There are days discouragement whispers, “You haven’t changed. You’ve failed again. You’re still the same.” But Philippians 1:6 answers back like a steady anchor: “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” That verse reminds me I am under construction, and the Master Builder doesn’t abandon His projects. Through every trial, every tear, every setback, the gospel proves itself alive—turning what feels like failure into an invitation for deeper transformation.
I won’t pretend the old patterns have vanished. There are mornings I still wrestle with impatience, doubt, or that subtle pull to rely on myself instead of God. The difference now is not that the struggle has disappeared, but that I know where to go with it. Instead of trying to fix myself, I’m slowly learning to fall to my knees and say, “Lord, I cannot do this. But Thou canst.” The same Jesus who said, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), is teaching me that impossibility is often the very ground where His power grows best. Where my strength runs out, His grace steps in—to renew the mind, purify the motives, and restore joy. Over time, that change shows up in real ways: in patience that wasn’t there before, in softer words, in a deeper desire to serve rather than to be noticed.
The gospel has also shifted the center of my gaze. For so long I saw mostly what was wrong with me; now I’m learning to look more at what’s right with God. The law of God no longer feels like a mirror only exposing my failures, but like a set of promises about what Christ can work in me. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) means I’m not left to struggle alone. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is able to lift me from discouragement and defeat. Every changed reaction, every surrendered attitude, every small act of obedience becomes evidence that He truly lives in the heart that yields.
When I pause and trace the journey, I can honestly say: I am not who I was. I am not yet what I shall be, but I’m also not who I used to be. That’s the gospel’s quiet testimony. It’s not about perfection attained, but about direction redeemed. Faith, I’m learning, isn’t the absence of struggle—it’s the presence of Christ in the struggle. The more I yield, the more I recognize His fingerprints on my choices, my emotions, my responses, even the way I see other people. And in those moments when I feel stuck or weary in the climb, I go back to the cross and remember: the same power that rolled away the stone is available for the stones that block my growth.
So let me turn the firelight toward you for a moment and ask: How has the gospel changed your life? Where has God written new sentences where you thought the story was over? The good news is not only that you’re forgiven, but that a living Christ stands ready to keep working—today, tomorrow, and “until the day of Jesus Christ.” And that realization, more than anything else, turns discouragement into hope, fear into trust, and an ordinary life into a living witness that truly, with God, all things are possible… even the quiet miracle of a changed heart.
If this Fireside Chat warmed your spirit and sparked fresh resolve to live what you believe, fan that flame with Scripture—“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Pull a little closer to the Light, and carry it into the week ahead.
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Star for the Journey 
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