Growth

Among the songs my pastor chooses often for worship, one in particular is bittersweet. Singing together as a congregation, the song leads us to ask God to renew us, confessing that everything we are needs to be conformed more unto his image. That’s the sweet part; it’s a beautiful song. The bitter part comes when I remember how I sang it in the past.

At one embarrassing point, I thought I had arrived. I thought I was “there”. I seriously didn’t think I could get any better or need any improvement. Surprisingly, I wasn’t cocky or arrogant about it. This attitude somehow sprung from sincere gratitude toward God for all the ways in which he had dramatically changed my life.

I was 17 and I had gone through severe depressions, deep involvement in the SoCal partying punk rock scene, drug use, an abusive relationship, and serious family problems. My life had gone from that darkness to the light of Christ and I was extremely thankful.

When I sang that song which was supposed to lead me to ask God to keep working in me, what came to mind instead was, “Thank you, Lord, because you’ve changed me so much already, I don’t need any more.” I honestly just couldn’t fathom how things could get any better than they already were.

By God’s grace, I realized my attitude was completely wrong. I learned we never fully arrive at the Biblical ideal, at least not until what Paul calls “the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). I realized that when Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” he was referring to a life-long struggle to follow the lifestyle Scripture set out for us more and more closely.

There is never a point in a Christian’s life when we can say we’re completely sanctified, done growing, done learning. The work God began in us on the moment we converted does not end until after death. While we’re here, we have to keep striving to grow in him, to be more like him.