Work in Progress
And I am certain that God, Who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT
Insight
If you’re anything like me, your inner critic is loud and persistent. I constantly berate myself for falling short. I drown myself in shame that God never intended for me to feel in the first place (Romans 8:1). Though God has declared me worthy of His forgiveness, I don’t see myself as worthy of any grace at all.
Though His judgement is perfect, I live as though His ruling is incorrect. How could God possibly let me off the hook, after everything I’ve done and all I continue to do? I know right from wrong, yet I continue to choose to do what hurts me and those around me.
Though the blood of Jesus has made me innocent before God, I burden myself with guilt. I walk around bearing the weight that Jesus died to lift off my shoulders.
So many of us expect perfection of ourselves. Because we know God’s commands and feel His conviction, we expect ourselves to resist every sin and temptation that entices us. But the reality is this: our sanctification is an ongoing process. The only One Who was ever able to live a perfectly righteous life was a first-century carpenter.
Philippians 1:6 reminds us that the process of sanctification won’t be complete until Jesus comes again. We aren’t supposed to be perfect today. We aren’t supposed to be perfect tomorrow. It’s okay to fall short. All God asks of us is that we acknowledge our mistakes and try to take the next right step.
How we see God determines how we seek Him. If we believe that God expects perfection of us, we will resist coming to Him when we fall short. If we think that He is meticulously keeping track of our mistakes, we won’t want to grow closer to Him. If we believe coming to God will compound our guilt, we won’t delight in His presence.
We have to offer ourselves the same patience and grace that God lavishes on us. God knows we are a work-in-progress, and He loves us right where we are in our journey of transformation.
We can easily buy into the lie that God is just as unforgiving toward us as we are toward ourselves. Though God is constantly calling us to live better, fuller, more selfless lives, He is patient with us as we learn to love as He does.
Reflection
Do you expect yourself to be perfect? How are your unrealistic standards for yourself impacting your relationship with God?
Prayer
Abba, thank you for transforming me from the inside-out. Thank you for being patient with me as I learn from You and become more like Your Son. Thank you for reminding me that sanctification is a process, one that will continue for the rest of my days. Help me to extend grace to myself when I fall short. Who am I to punish myself for what You’ve forgiven? You don’t expect me to be perfect today. You know I am incapable of perfection; that is why You sent Your perfect Son to die on my behalf and take my guilt away. Thank you for making me Your beloved work-in-progress. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.