Two things that we Christians should desire most cannot be ours simply we want them.
The fact is that we sometimes have to change how we think and act if we’re to have any hope of having them.
I’m talking about the love of God and the capacity for the perseverance of Christ.
A brief verse in my devotional reading today speaks to this truth:
“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
By implication, we learn that experiencing and embracing the depth of God’s love and of Christ’s perseverance is not something that comes naturally to us.
Instead, this love and this spiritual endurance are the fruits of a surrendered, submissive relationship with God and with Christ.
We cannot have these to the measure God desires and that we need unless we ask the Lord to guide our thoughts, emotions and actions.
The verse above is not talking about God’s universal love that was shown to all humans when Jesus died on the cross as the atonement for sin. I believe, instead, that Paul is addressing the blessing of an intimate relationship with the Father who saves souls, blesses lives and directs paths.
That’s what I want. More importantly, that’s what I need. I cannot reach the place of receiving these blessings simply because I think I should have them. I need to take God’s hand and allow Him to lead me to that place of surrendered blessing.
And so it is with the enduring godliness and graciousness of Christ. My flawed nature is incapable of Christ’s goodness and determination on my strength alone. I’ve tried in the past and fallen short enough times to know that I need help to become like Jesus.
I need the voice of the Holy Spirit to guide me in the choices and disciplines that will mold me more into the pattern of Christ.
Listen, we’re all tempted to think we can be godly without God’s help.
Doesn’t sound like a very smart way of thinking, does it?
Let’s be smart. Let’s take God’s hand and trust that we’ll experience more of His love in our life journey and gain more of Christ’s strength for those times when the journey gets hard.
As always, I love you
Martin
