In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8 NLT)
After yesterday’s challenging words of Andrew Murray’s commentary on holiness, I reread an email I’d received:
As children model the behavior of their parents, so do you become like that which you admire. When you emulate my character in your life, it is the highest form of worship you could offer. Look at your lifestyle, beloved. What does your love look like? You reflect me when you choose to offer mercy instead of revenge, humility instead of selfish ambition, and compassion instead of ire. It is never too late to align your life with mine.
Don’t feel discouraged when you see areas that fall short, for I have everything you need to rise up and follow me. I will teach you my ways. As long as you seek after me, you will see the fruit of my goodness in your life. My character will reflect in your own choices as you live with a grateful heart that continually chooses the law of love. Nothing is more sacred than a surrendered life. What a fragrant offering it is. As the object of my delight, you cannot ever overestimate what joy you bring me. Draw near now and let your hope come alive in my marvelous mercy.*
I do recognize that we must be realistic about our failures to be holy, to pursue God with pure hearts, and to live lives totally aligned with the Lord Jesus Christ. But these very real failures are met with God’s grace. The Apostle Paul knew that when he wrote Romans 3:23-24:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Paul knew from intimate experience of God the power of God’s grace. He knew the power of justification to God through faith in Christ. He knew the hope he had in God’s grace and wrote:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2 NIV)
Our peace with God comes not from our desire to live holy lives. It comes from our faith in Jesus and the grace in which we rest.
Our desire to live holy lives comes as a response to that grace, love, and peace that Jesus offers.
Much as a loving earthly father encourages his baby in the first few steps of life, our Heavenly Father is continually encouraging us to take the steps of our spiritual lives. When our lives are aligned with and surrendered to Jesus’s perfect will, we can’t help but continually choose God’s Law of Love. When we draw near to God, our hope comes alive in his marvelous mercy. And we share in God’s joy.
Today, let us be people who are continually aligning in faith, abiding in love, striving for deeper holiness, and sharing God’s joy.
AMEN.
*Adapted from I Hear His Whisper for Women written by Brian Simmons