I wish I could say that every day I wake up and completely desire Jesus. That the first thought that crosses my mind is, “Thank you Jesus for life and breath, and for gracing me with another day.” Instead, it looks a little more like this:
“What am I gonna eat for breakfast?”
“Uggghhh, I have to pee but I don’t want to get out of bed”
“I wonder if I’ll have time for a nap today?”
Some days I don’t say a word to Jesus. Some days I don’t even think twice about opening my Bible. Some days I have impure thoughts. Some days I say curse words.
When Jesus reels me back in, as He calls me back to Himself I’m almost always left thinking “What the heck am I doing trying to go throughout my days without Jesus? Am I crazy?”
Here’s the thing:
Life is not satisfying without Jesus. Its simply just not. How could it be?
2 Peters 2:3 tells us that He has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. So that ultimately we can [STRIVE] to be more like Him. He has given me the precious gift of faith so that I may become a partaker of His divine nature. This is a good beginning, but it should not be rested in as if I am already perfect.
Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that I need Jesus. Now, always, and forever. There will never be a day where I have striven enough or have been perfected enough. And it wasn’t until this very moment that I understood why life exhausts me.
We have these qualities as Christians (2 Peter 1: 5-7) :
-Virtue
-Knowledge
-Self-control
-Steadfastness
-Godliness
-Brotherly affection
-Love
These qualities belong to me and if increasing, 2 Peter 1:8 says, “…they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” and it goes on to say… “if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”
What a beautiful reminder that is, as Peter intended for it be.
God has called us to partake in these qualities, for a lifelong pattern of growth in Christlike character for fruitful ministry.
Life gets the best of me sometimes, and circumstances fill my mind. And in the midst of all the craziness I have found myself putting a pause on striving to be more like Jesus… At least trying to.
The truth is I cannot pause sanctification. I cannot pause God’s will for me. God has called me to holiness, to be set apart, to live life for His glory and for His purposes. I am constantly being refined and remolded to be more like my Savior. He began a good work in me, and it will not be brought to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. I am sure of it.
So on my worst days, the times I slip curse words, the mornings I don’t desire Jesus, the days I don’t speak to Him… It does not change my identity as someone who has professed to follow Christ all the days of my life. It doesn’t make me any less perfect. But what it does do is exhaust me and bring me back to Him. Always. Life is not satisfying without Him. The beauty of it all is that it’s a relentless pursuit, and His love for me is never changing.
