Matthew revisited the theme that God is working in us to make us into the person that He wants us to be. Be yourself…everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

1 Thess 3:23 three parts Body Soul and Spirit. Gen 2:7 The Lord formed man, a living being Sam 1:13 (Knit together in our mothers womb). We are known intimately Psalm 130:3. God is with us Emmanuel. Job 10:8, Isa 64:8 (The Potter) we enter the school of the Spirit.

All of the tensions of life and everything thrown at us are shaping us to grow in deeper dependence on and in Him. Phil 4:8. When we are under the pump, anxious and fearful, sick or discouraged then we can enter into His presence and think on the things are noble, pure and worthy of praise and the the peace of God comes upon us. Taking every thought captive and renewing our inner self and we need to meditate on these things. Matt 6 Seek First…. We need to leave the default settings of worry…

prov 14:30 a Heart of peace gives life to the body. Matthew shared a deep personal tough season, external fire, internal burnout and health challenges in his wife…. This drove him deeper into God. The Lord uses the pressures of life to shape us. Psalm 51:10-13

the shaping on the wheel takes time and is an ongoing process. If we hold onto “stuff”, anger, bitterness, trauma, hurts, unforgiveness then we can get stuck.