In Ephesians 4:13 I read, “This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.” (CEV)
Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic. It’s gradual and progressive.
Paul said, “This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.” (Ephesians 4:13 CEV).
I am a work in progress. My spiritual transformation, developing the character of Jesus, will take the rest of my life. And even then it won’t be completed here on Earth. It will only be finished when I get to heaven or when Jesus returns. At that point, any unfinished work on my character will be wrapped up.
The Bible says that when I’m finally able to see Jesus perfectly, I will become perfectly like him: “We are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2 NLT).
I should never ignore this simple truth: God is far more interested in building my character than he is in anything else.
People worry when God seems silent on specific issues, such as “What career should I choose?” The truth is, there are many different careers that could be in God’s will for your life. What God cares about most is that whatever I do, I do in a Christ Like manner.
God is far more interested in who I am than in what I do. We are human beings, not human doings. God is much more concerned about my character than my career, because I will take my character into eternity, not my career.
God’s purpose is to make me like him before he takes me to heaven. Becoming like Jesus is my greatest privilege, my immediate responsibility, and my ultimate destiny.
In summary, equipping people to do God’s work and building up the church will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. As I do this, I will be mature, just as Christ is, and I will be completely like him. Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic. Therefore, I am a work in progress. My spiritual transformation, developing the character of Jesus, will take the rest of my life. It will only be finished when I get to heaven or when Jesus returns. When I’m finally able to see Jesus perfectly, I will become perfectly like him. God is far more interested in building my character than he is in anything else. What God cares about most is that whatever I do, I do in a Christ Like manner. God is far more interested in who I am than in what I do. God is much more concerned about my character than my career, because I will take my character into eternity, not my career. God’s purpose is to make me like him before he takes me to heaven. Becoming like Jesus is my greatest privilege, my immediate responsibility, and my ultimate destiny.
God has given his church an enormous responsibility, to make disciples in every nation. If I had to fulfill this command by myself, I might as well give up without trying, it would be impossible. But God calls me and others as members of his body. Some of us can do one task; some can do another. Together we can obey God more fully than anyone could alone. It's my own tendency to overestimate what I can do by myself and to underestimate what we can do as a group. As the body of Christ, we can accomplish more together than we would dream possible working by ourselves. Working together, the church can express the fullness of Christ.
Father, thank you for wanting me. I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. Father, help me grow in maturity and become Christ like in what I do. It’s more important that I let you develop my character. I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
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