Writing my first book was not very hard. Some days the words would flow easily out of my mind then other days I would have to step back and take a break. I hadn't written anything since I was in college. When my book was finished, I read over it for any grammatical errors, misspelled words and missed punctuations. I thought I had done a good job according to my own knowledge. Then I let Debbie and Melinda read and edit the book. They made a few changes and I looked over it 2 more times. I was almost ready to hit the publish button on Kindle Publishing when Debbie said, Why not let someone with experience in editing look at it. I believed the spelling, grammar, and punctuation were fine. I agreed for her to get someone who had done this for a living and knew all of the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling review the book for us.
The person Debbie asked to edit my manuscript returned it in about a week. I was so happy, because I wanted to publish on Kindle that evening. I confidently tore open the large manila envelope, just believing that there were probably not many errors to correct. Suddenly, my hopes and dreams of being an author vanished as quickly as a hundred dollar bill at Disney World. The manuscript of my first book came back to me looking as though it was bleeding to death. I do not believe a single page was without red ink. I sat back in my chair. You do not know how ignorant I felt and also relieved that I hadn't pushed the publish button on Kindle Publishing a week ago without the proper editing.
I got on the internet and found out that many authors go through the same process I had just experienced. I realized I didn't know all I needed about editing. I could learn how, or I could get someone that already knows the rules. I choose to do both. I want to learn so I can write better, and I will always let a professional editor do the final edit. How did I correct my manuscript? I retyped it making the changes as the editor suggested.
If I do not seek to learn the rules of writing well and do not have an editor that already knows them, my writing will never get better. The words that I want to express from my heart will never be expressed in the proper way they should be. I must have the desire to get better and be patient with the process. I will need to examine my progress by the fewer red marks from the editor. Will I be perfect? No! But I will know I am trying to continually do my best.
I am a Christian. What if I live my life anyway I desire to? I say I believe in Jesus and God but live as what I describe a good life. My life is just like an unedited manuscript. I have several red marks on each page.
Just like I thought my manuscript was acceptable, I could also think my life is acceptable by the way I feel and compare myself to others. The only way I could edit my Christian life would be to let God's word do it for me.
I must not think what I do in secret, or what I think about is never known to anyone. David says it well in Psalm 139 that God knows all about man. Read the whole chapter and then you can say as David in verses 23-24; Search me O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting(NKJV).
There are books written that contain the proper rules for writing. There is also a book inspired by God and written by men, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to provide instruction on how to live as Christians in this life. That Book is the Bible. If I call myself a Christian, God's inspired word is the only standard by which I can examine my life. The way I worship God and the way I should live to please Him are all found in this book.
If we have the mindset of David when he said, Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart, Psalm 26:2(NKJV), we will be willing to go to God's word to examine the way we are living. The hardest exam we will ever take, if we are honest, is the one we give ourselves.
The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified(2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV).
I have examined myself over the years with God's word and have had my life's manuscript come back with several red marks. The problem is, I can't retype my life. The only thing I can do is repent of those things,(kinda like retyping) and go forward never desiring to do them again. How do I get the red check marks off my past? I can't and I will never be able to remove them because I will never be good enough. But there is the One who can, His name is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. God loved us so much that He sent the perfect sacrifice to die in our place. We had plenty of red check marks, about like my first manuscript, but God loves us. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, NKJV). Jesus shed His blood for you and me to wash away our sins. When we examine our lives by God's word, the scriptures tell us exactly what to do to have Christ's blood wash away those sins.
It is hard to live in this fallen world. No matter how hard we try, you and I will sin against God. The most beautiful passage in the Bible that comforts me when this happens is taken from I John 1:5-10.
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you that
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and
do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
* If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. NKJV
My desire is to live a life that pleases God, and I assume you do, too. If I am to come out of the closet as a Christian and to wear the name Christian, I must want more than anything to live as He has commanded..To do this I must want to examine my life on a regular basis to make sure I am not living as the world would have me to live.
Many times it is not easy to be a Christian, but with God's promises and His love for us, you and I can make a difference in:our lives and the lives of others in this world.. Let's do it.!!!
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Rick Hepler
