Philippians -- Part 1 -- Unfinished
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT).
Unfinished
One of the most freeing things about following Jesus is realizing that you don't have to be perfect to earn His love. You don't even have to be "good enough" -- in fact no amount of trying will make you any more deserving of God's favor than you are right now. The truth is, we are all unfinished. We are all messy and broken and prone to stumble on ourselves, we are selfish and we disappoint, we are imperfect.
There are those who think imperfections somehow disqualify one even from the pursuit of God. Some have lingered on the outside of religion -- unconvinced that it really makes a difference. Too often the religious people act like they have no struggles and that they have it all figured out -- and if you don't -- then you don't fit in.
The truth again -- anyone who has a serious relationship with God will have unanswered questions and an increasing awareness of their own limitations. We are all unfinished -- and those who don't realize that are just fooling themselves.
The beauty of the Good News is that in the midst of all your struggles and questions, failures and fears -- God is actively at work trying to draw you to himself. He is reaching out to you and wants to work in and through you to show you His love and to enable you to show His love to others.
You can resist or embrace it -- the choice is yours. If we resist, we are like a muddy cat trying to avoid a bath from his owner. If we embrace it -- we have the opportunity to be shaped and influenced by the author and designer of the universe.
We are not finished yet -- but we are in process, taking on the shape God has uniquely designed for us.
I don't know about you -- but with all of the influences in this world that try to shape us -- I believe and trust that God's influence, as revealed in Jesus, is most true and most noble and most capable of helping me have a fulfilled and joy-full life.
Today's Question:
What's shaping and influencing your life right now?
Posts
3 comments:
To much of the world and not enough of God, I have found that in all areas of my life there is so much conflict from the world compared to a christian walk. But only in the times where i pray and ask for wisdom and grace is when i see a calming effect in my life.
Thank you for the post.
Thank you for the post! I'm looking forward to hearing more from you!
Earlier in the year, I heard from God that the TV shows I was watching were shaping me too much. Even though it was subtle. As a Christian, it's easy to let life just continue without realizing that some of what you are doing is hurting your relationship with God.
Thanks for your comments. Our world is so full of people and corporations who spend billions trying to influence people to believe or think a certain way. It only takes a little apathy for us to become what they are projecting for us. We often don't even know why we want or like something because we aren't aware of our influencers.
Post a Comment