- Sep 29, 2018
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Our Weakness and Need
When we placed our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we became travelers on the road toward God’s perfection. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit are we able to even consider such a lofty destination; however, with God’s help every day can bring us one step closer. Of course, we will never attain perfection in this life. Perfection will be our state of being in our new life with Jesus, but this life is how we get there. Everything about this life is designed to bring us closer to God’s perfection.
Our Desire
We all want to be more like Jesus and the apostle Paul gives us this clear guidance in the book of Philippians, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4) This seemingly simple advice can be more difficult to follow than it sounds.
Our Opponent
We have an enemy in this world pushing us off in the wrong direction. Everything about this world is designed to distract us from our pursuit of God’s perfection. Our enemy believes if he can make our journey difficult or confusing, we will become frustrated and turn back. For most of us, life is a series of ups and downs. One day we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus and the next we are distracted by the enemy’s manipulation. Keep in mind, learning to avoid the enemy’s distractions is our primary mission. The enemy is a tool that God is using to help us grow to perfection. Without struggle, there would be no growth.
Our Plan
When we stay connected to the instruction found in the Bible, we can be certain God is with us and we will eventually find our way to perfection. We find this in the book of James, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Our Battle
Every day we have choices to make in pursuit of the fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the goals we seek in our quest for perfection (Galatians 5:22-23). Every day there are road blocks that we need to overcome to make our joy complete, demonstrate our sincere love for others, and move all the other fruits of the Spirit closer to God’s perfection.
Finding Ourselves
We are not traveling this road on our own – far from it. As a child of God, we are not part of this world. We are one with each other and one with God. Jesus made this clear statement in the book of John when speaking to His Father in heaven, “The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.” (John 17:22-23) We are “perfected in unity” with our Christian brothers and sisters and with God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Our New Life in Jesus
Every challenge in our lives is designed to move us closer to God’s perfection. We each have different weaknesses that we need to work through and God has a personalized plan for all those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. In Colossians chapter three we find this encouragement: “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-15) Achieving God’s perfection is not easy, but as followers of Jesus Christ we are given all the tools necessary to reach this awesome goal. When we follow the teachings of Jesus and make every effort to respond in all circumstances with love, we can be certain of our final destination.
When we placed our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we became travelers on the road toward God’s perfection. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit are we able to even consider such a lofty destination; however, with God’s help every day can bring us one step closer. Of course, we will never attain perfection in this life. Perfection will be our state of being in our new life with Jesus, but this life is how we get there. Everything about this life is designed to bring us closer to God’s perfection.
Our Desire
We all want to be more like Jesus and the apostle Paul gives us this clear guidance in the book of Philippians, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4) This seemingly simple advice can be more difficult to follow than it sounds.
Our Opponent
We have an enemy in this world pushing us off in the wrong direction. Everything about this world is designed to distract us from our pursuit of God’s perfection. Our enemy believes if he can make our journey difficult or confusing, we will become frustrated and turn back. For most of us, life is a series of ups and downs. One day we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus and the next we are distracted by the enemy’s manipulation. Keep in mind, learning to avoid the enemy’s distractions is our primary mission. The enemy is a tool that God is using to help us grow to perfection. Without struggle, there would be no growth.
Our Plan
When we stay connected to the instruction found in the Bible, we can be certain God is with us and we will eventually find our way to perfection. We find this in the book of James, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Our Battle
Every day we have choices to make in pursuit of the fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the goals we seek in our quest for perfection (Galatians 5:22-23). Every day there are road blocks that we need to overcome to make our joy complete, demonstrate our sincere love for others, and move all the other fruits of the Spirit closer to God’s perfection.
Finding Ourselves
We are not traveling this road on our own – far from it. As a child of God, we are not part of this world. We are one with each other and one with God. Jesus made this clear statement in the book of John when speaking to His Father in heaven, “The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.” (John 17:22-23) We are “perfected in unity” with our Christian brothers and sisters and with God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Our New Life in Jesus
Every challenge in our lives is designed to move us closer to God’s perfection. We each have different weaknesses that we need to work through and God has a personalized plan for all those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. In Colossians chapter three we find this encouragement: “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-15) Achieving God’s perfection is not easy, but as followers of Jesus Christ we are given all the tools necessary to reach this awesome goal. When we follow the teachings of Jesus and make every effort to respond in all circumstances with love, we can be certain of our final destination.
