It's a process.....

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It is a truly extraordinary thing we do each day to choose to sacrifice all that we are to be like Christ. Presentable. Honorable. Acceptable. It is not a natural habit. It is a supernatural one, inspired by the Holy Spirit living in us because of our decision to follow after Christ. This is not intended to bring guilt upon anyone. If we are seeking Him daily by reading, knowing, committing to memory His Word, praying, meditating upon His faithfulness and His unwavering promises, then we are able to shift into the holy mindset He desires for us. I am thankful every single day to know God loves me and has mercy new for me, but if I am honest I have a lot weighing me down as I walk through this life journey. It is difficult to come to terms with my inadequacies, my failures-but He knows my heart and loves me anyway. Upon my confession, the release of all that stuff that weighs me down, I am humbled and grateful to know my God is there and loves me anyway.

‘And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship him.’
(Romans 12:1 NLT)

My son Bailey is a wonder. He is in the middle of rehearsing and preparing for a reader’s theater presentation at school coming up next month with his Thespians class. I am amazed by his passion, his drive for excellence as he works on perfecting his portrayal of a Vietnam soldier. He was telling me the other night about how rehearsal went and some healthy criticism he received. I could tell by his mood he took it a little hard, but at the same time I could sense this determination in him to keep working at it. This is the process of perfection. We will never be perfect, after all we are only human. But, we have an amazing reason to strive for it every single day. That single act of sacrifice, of presenting Himself for all of our sin on that cross, defeating death and the grave and hell itself so that one day……we will truly know perfection.

What greater reason could we possibly have to make the best of this life He has given us?

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