Always abounding. Have you ever considered the possibility of those words in your personal life? I realize that Paul is speaking to the church regarding their part in the Kingdom, however, I see incredible potential for those words to be fulfilled in our personal lives. Think about it. Why can't the work of the Lord be your family? What if the work of the Lord right now in your life has to do with your relationships? Any area of your life that He is leading you to give careful attention IS His work. Abound in it. Bring it to excess, to overflowing, to abundance. Don't be satisfied with anything less. Be grateful for what you have in these areas but see the potential of what it could be.
When quitting isn't an option, abounding is the only solution. I have seen too many people give up when it seems hard, walk away when it seems as though they just cannot get it together, or lay down in frustration. Have you ever wondered why people go back to destructive behavior? The familiarity of those choices and the shame associated with it can actually become a comfortable place. Why do you think Paul instructed the church to be steadfast and immovable before they could abound in the work of the Lord? There has to be some grit to us. There has to be some intestinal fortitude. I will not give up. I will not back down. I will see this through.
This is a long journey. From start to finish will take a lifetime. We get so caught up in seeing through a short term lens. When things don't happen the way we think they should, we simply move on to something else. I get it. Pressing forward is not always gratifying. Living in a results oriented society, it is much easier to think there is a better way. However, there are just some things that only pay off with time. Some things that can only be measured at a certain distance.
What I said yesterday about the grace of God and living intentionally did not happen overnight. Don't get me wrong, there were some immediate benefits in how I saw myself and everyone around me; but the reality is that I'm just now seeing the long term effects. Anyone who has gone through a recovery program would understand this. Consistency, Intentionality, and Persistence are needed to see things through. The more my family encounters the changes I have gone through, the greater their response. Think about it in these terms: Let's say that I was an abusive husband and father. Something happens that brings me to a place where I want to change my ways. How long will it take for my wife to trust me? How long before my kids stop covering up every time I raise my hand? How long before I stop yelling? There is no timetable. Only the consistent and intentional moving forward can bring the healing we want to see.
I know people who have learned about our identity in Christ but never reaped the benefits. It was much easier for them to step back into a performance mentality. There was much more gratification in measuring their so called accomplishments in the other way of doing life. They didn't see a change initially so they gave up. The grace of God is not necessarily a quick fix. It takes time to learn to draw from this well consistently. There is a lot of unlearning involved. All you can do is learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, and keep moving forward. Walking with Him will prove to you that this is the greatest way to do life. Give yourself time. This is where you learn what it means to rest in Him.
REST. You know what this is don't you? It's the willingness to trust completely. It's the faith that He who began a good work in you will complete it. It's never resorting to self-righteousness but allowing His righteousness to come out. It's not a lack of activity, it's just believing that what He did truly carries over into our lives. It keeps us firm and secure in the relationship. It means accepting that I am who He says that I am and living from that place. The more we learn how to rest, the greater the peace that we carry, and the easier it becomes to work out what He has worked within us.
I may get it all right today. Then again...I may blow it. I don't stop. I apologize. I ask for forgiveness. I learn from my mistakes. I rely on His grace to overcome this character defect, this bad habit, or this destructive behavior. I feel His strength rising up. I move forward. One step at a time. One day at a time. I'm conforming into His image. This is the journey. This is what walking with Him looks like. I don't need to run and hide in the bushes. I don't need to make some kind of covering for my mistakes. He seeks me out in them. He calls me to Himself. He teaches me how to carry the nature of a son. And when you learn how to live life this way, it's breathtaking. He is that good.
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