I am “confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6 NIV).
It’s a good thing! What a relief! Thank you, Lord! We certainly can’t carry out our own sanctification through sheer human effort. It’s impossible. We’re sinners. But we’re made-new sinners. Therein lies the rub. We’re no longer happy sinning or content to stay that way. This is evidence of the Holy Spirit within us. Yet, daily, we still sin. It’s a good thing he’s faithful to carry out the good work, bringing it to completion.
We often don’t even know we’re sinning. Our sins are bred in our thoughts and intentions. We hide our motives behind our backs, sure that our intentions are loving, good, and selfless. Only later, after everything blows up in our faces, do we discover that our intentions were unloving, bad, and selfish. We lie to ourselves so easily. We’re sinners. We do it well. Hence, David’s question and plea: “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults” (Ps. 19:12 ESV).
Sometimes our sins aren’t so easily hidden. The worry line between our eyes proclaims our continuing battle with anxiety. Our tempers flare. The tire around our waistline discloses our gluttony. Our cluelessness about others’ pain reveals our self-absorption and lack of empathy. We’re still tempted to look when the men’s cross country team runs by in their scanty running apparel. And on it goes. “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:3 ESV).
Our inability to ever arrive at the state of perfection is universal. This fact of our humanity does not cause God to throw up his hands in disgust and say, “That’s it! Now you’ve done it. I’m giving up on you!” Nor does our continued sinfulness surprise him. No. He’s aware that we’re dust, jars of clay, human. Instead, he patiently continues to show us his mercy and to work out our sanctification within us.
We merely cooperate. But we can’t even take credit for that. It is he who pours his grace into our hearts, giving us the desire to change. The transformation begins. Ever so gradually. Bit by bit. Until our time on earth is through. But we will not “arrive” until we see him face to face. Only then will the metamorphosis be complete.
So what do we do? Give up? No indeed. We yield ourselves to his work and avail ourselves of God’s grace, grabbing a hold of Jesus’ ankles. We fight the good fight; we press on. With the Holy Spirit nudging us, we remain constantly aware of our flawed brokenness, humbly admitting to our Savior our inability to save ourselves, habitually pleading for his help, thanking him for this moment-by-moment grace.
We “continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12b, 13 NIV). What a relief!
Melinda, this is SO VERY TRUE! Thanks for seeking God for what He would have you write. As always, when God inspires, the message hits its mark. This one was a reminder much needed! Thanks again, Melinda!
Love,
Aunt Jackie
Can you guess which verse of Psa 19 I am memorizing this week??? I could hardly believe it: “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults!” Our hearts are deceitful through and through. I’m so thankful that the blood of Jesus covers even our hidden faults, those we cannot discern!
I like the idea of metamorphosis. I’m still trying to break loose from this cocoon of sin into which I am so tightly entangled. One day, I shall be free! What a great day that will be!
So glad to see you writing on your blog again! First the computer blows up, and God provides one, but then the backlog of work had to be caught up. At last, you are able to write again so that you can share the blessing of God’s gifts to you with us! Blessings and hugs!!
I’m slowing down to think about the purpose God has for my life, to be transparent to myself–it is hard to come face to face with all my “brokenness” and it is taking more courage and patience than I initially thought when the Holy Spirit brought it to my attention. I’m thinking of God as a knitter who starts a beautiful design and then I get in the way and try to make it better by changing the design and making the sleeves longer and having a hood rather than a collar and then realizing that God has started unraveling the yarn and making a perfect ball with it. He pulls all the yarn out to the spot where I had my great ideas and THIS time We start over. I’m so glad that God doesn’t give up.
Everyone, thank you for your comments. Renee, what a beautiful metaphor! God has shown you a great truth, using the work you do every day as you knit your beautiful designs. You’ve described this so aptly! That’s exactly what it’s like. We plunge ahead with OUR design for the longer sleeves and the hood without consulting the Master Knitter. Then he quietly begins to unravel the yarn, making a perfect ball, allowing us to rely on him and knit again that portion. Acknowledging our broken places–the holes and flaws we have in our self-knit parts and how those affect everything else in the knitting afterward–is hard work. At first, we deny it. It can’t be! We thought we were on the right path–we were following the pattern, weren’t we? We might need others to affirm what God is revealing to us. When we finally see what a mess we’ve made, it’s so hard to be humbled and have the yarn unraveled, to see what we lost by attempting to knit that portion in our own way or in a way that other well-intentioned people guided us for that part of the pattern. (Often other people try to get us to knit their pattern instead of the one God has given us; it has to be unraveled.) Meanwhile, God is quietly working, loving us, never giving up, transforming us to be the people he made us to be, so we can accomplish his purpose for us, unraveling us so he can hold our hands as we knit again that portion, enabling us to knit what HE has in mind–aiding, comforting, and assisting all through the process. This is what spiritual growth looks like. He never lets go; he never gives up on us. What a relief!