Part 6. Leggo
"6. Progressive Sanctification Involves Active Exertion and Means of Grace - Christians are commanded to "work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in [us], both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12b-13). Although being conformed (in practice) to Christ's image day-by-day is God's work, it does not happen without active involvement. God has provided means of grace that strengthen our faith, equip us to do good works, and that stimulates us to good deeds. These include reading the Bible; individual and corporate prayer and confession of sin; corporate worship; evangelism; Christ-centered friendship; baptism; the Lord's supper; hospitality with other Christians and strangers; among other things. If we neglect these means, our faith and spiritual progress will diminish and wither. If God provides and we make use of these means, our faith and spiritual progress will increase. You have mentioned that you have neglected many of these means of grace in recent days. Don't you want to get back on track? If you wanted to get back on track, what would you do differently?"
Interesting. A direct call out at me. :P First off, yes, I do fully think that in the process of sanctification (God refining us, purifying us, making us more into the image of Christ, etc.) that we also play an active role. We are to walk in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:16) and not to grieve Him by our actions or words (Eph 4:30).
I had admitted that I hadn't read my Bible much; that I had been praying more and more rarely; that I'd been very isolated by the pandemic; that I was unwilling to evangelize since I had been so trapped in feeling sinful and broken. It was not a good place to be. So I needed a change. At least I could feel good about myself, so I went to the gym and got a personal trainer. I got a new chiropractor cause my other one didn't help at all. I needed to focus on making me better, but I also had way too many responsibilities on my plate that were draining me and taking all my time. A friend joked about how I wasn't using alcohol and drugs. hehe. Thanks for planting that seed. ;P But that kinda led me in the end to talking to the guys who were in my life (virtually) and the encouraged me to step back and rest. So I stepped away from those responsibilities for the summer. I got a handful of people more involved in my life for that time. And then I pretty suddenly moved apartments to get away from a lot of the negativity and resentment that had built up in that place. And then, I guess I ended up dating before I'd figured it all out. Oops? And then work and life got extremely busy and stressful and I just needed to escape it all and retreat into a happier place. I ended up having a month off work while I healed from a sore throat and then went on a vacation, which again was a bit of an escape. Now finally, I've changed stores and work is much less daily weighing on me. I've started listening to the Bible on my walks to work. I'm trying to pray a bit through that time. I've been going to church every week since I got back from vacation. I've involved a LOT of people in my life more recently. I'm talking to one guy a bunch about these things. And SH really wants me to figure things out, so I'm trying real hard to get my head back into the mess and figure it out. I want to be in a place where time with God is something I desire. I want to be in a place where I look forward to work. I want to be in a place where I have friends that I see regularly.
Anything valuable requires effort being put into it.
The kingdom of God is like a treasure buried in a field. When a man found it, he went quickly, sold all he had, and purchased the field.
Meaningful relationships take time and effort. You need to build trust. You need to learn how each other works. You need to know how best to encourage and support them. You need to learn when to talk and when to listen and when to show up with flowers.
If your family is meaningful to you, you will drop those other tasks and go visit them in the hospital.
You will make time and put in effort if you believe something is valuable. It's so hard for me though, because I think both are incredibly valuable. I sat on the fence for years to both avoid losing God, and avoid losing the chance at a relationship. I couldn't decide which one I felt was more valuable, and I kinda wasted 3 years. I don't want to choose incorrectly. I don't want to waste time. I don't want to hurt anyone. Is there a way that both can work? Can I be close to God and close to my partner? Can I do all the things required of me? "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). Can that work? Or is the humbly part where admitting my sinfulness and turning away from those things goes?
Idk.
D.Fa
No comments:
Post a Comment