From the Home Place

March 4, 2026

Starting the day at 23, headed for 62. If you have something to do outside, you probably should get it done today!

Yesterday found Miss Deb, Coffee and I back in Casper, only a 200+ mile round trip. When a person is in need of certain supplies, you have to go to a larger town; from Lusk, such a town is a long way away. For many folks who wish to follow Jesus, maturity seems to also be a long way away!

One of the amazing things about God is that He accepts all of us where we are, but He has no intention of leaving us there. As one old quaker stated, “God’s arms are open to everyone, with our wrinkles, warts and all.” The simple truth is, we all start our spiritual journey as sinners.

Yet when a person comes to Jesus, with a true desire to be transformed into His likeness, the Holy Spirit begins a life-changing process within such a person. To walk away from our old self and to walk into a newness in Jesus Christ is called repentance. Much like an alcoholic, a repentant sinner must want to change before there will be any significant change.

The older a convert to Jesus is, the more bad habits that person tends to be comfortable with. Cussing, lying, gossip and the like tend to come easier to a 30, 40…….year old than they do to a five-year-old. However, when training a person for spiritual disciplines, an older, more mature person will handle the rigors of training easier than a younger person who doesn’t quite yet know who they really are.

So, if you are older in age and have recently committed your life to Jesus, be aggressive about allowing the Holy Spirit to transform your old way of life. Go to church and find someone who is living in a manner you wish to attain and ask that person to disciple you. Or visit with your pastor about finding such a person. However you go about it, find a more mature Christian to help you grow in your new relationship with Jesus.

Jesus is inviting you to begin walking with Him on a daily basis. Be careful not to attempt to outrun Jesus, nor should you lag behind Him. The Christian life is a daily walk with Jesus. Right there, beside Him is the best place to live the rest of your life.

Now, back to our trip to Casper yesterday. As I said, it is a long way from Lusk to a town of any size. Usually the older a person is, the more of life they have experienced. The more of life a person has experienced, the more likely it is that sinful habits have become the normal way of life. As such, you will need to work harder to allow the Holy Spirit to change those bad habits into good ones. It seems to me that the best way to swap bad habits for good ones is to daily walk with Jesus, along with a friend who is spiritually where you want to be .

Daily Bible reading, prayer and walking with Jesus is the best way to reach your goal of being more like Jesus. Like a toddler learning to walk, you too will fall from time to time, get back up and try again. Before long, you will begin to enjoy your daily walks with Jesus! Just remember, walking with Jesus is a life-long journey, not a one-day trip.

Walking with Jesus with you, Neal