I failed to post anything over the past two days and received my due "pestering" - thanks for the accountability. I would offer an excuse about working on a devotion that remains incomplete, but I know this group - it would get me nowhere :)
Today's verse is Jeremiah 29:11 - a familiar one to us all, yet I'm not convinced we all truly live it to the fullest extent possible. For me, it revolves around one of the questions Tony asked which was "what steps of faith would you take if you knew He had already planned them?" That is the crux of our faith relationship with God which is we don't always "know." I've always said that if I had a burning bush, I could step up and be somebody. Yet, I'm mindful that I have something that Moses didn't have - the constant indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
So that then, brings me full circle as to why I wanted to start this which is am I really living a life fully yielded to and in 100% congruence with God's perfect will? Obviously I am not and the readers of this know this fully. Since I am not, there are aspects of my life wherein Jesus is not fully Lord. My goal for this year isn't to do something for God (after all, what does the creator of the universe need from me other than love and obedience?), but rather become more fully yielded to Him such that I am of more utility and benefit to Him.
I note with interest one statement made today with which I disagree. In the fourth paragraph, Tony states "...it is reassuring to know that God doesn't pressure us to be perfect." Perhaps I'm wrong, but I believe God does pressure us to be perfect (Lev 11:44,45; 19:2; and 1 Peter 1:16). Obviously this isn't attainable, hence our need for a perfect savior. My view of this is that God's love doesn't depend on our perfection. It depends on His own perfection, which is what I need to depend upon. Feedback?
2 comments:
Like the part about not knowing. Chris probably gets tired of me saying this time and again, but I always say we're His "stupid sheep". If we knew what his plans were for us we'd for sure mess it all up worse than we do already.
I believe, like you, that the Bible does present a emphasis on our "Striving for Perfection" as the church name describes. As you say, it is unattainable outside of the perfect life and character of Jesus. But the Bible keeps the thought throughout the New Testament in my opinion. We are to "renew our minds" and "work out our salvation" and "finish the race" among many other references to an ongoing work on ourselves. ... One of the things I always liked about Star Trek was this idea of a society where everyone recognized their abilities and worked to make them the best they could and apply them to the benefit of everyone else and the society as a whole. It was for the sake of being a better person this is done, not for the benefit of themselves (more money). I believe the Bible emphasis is much in this idea regarding this work to "strive for perfection".
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