I have been reading Fresh Start by Doug Fields. The book focuses on how we can get unstuck from wherever we are and have a fresh start in our relationships with God. One of Fields’ main points is that we are only responsible for the things that we can do. It is impossible for us to change ourselves; that is something only God can do. So, instead of trying to do the impossible and transform our lives, we simply need to do what we can and trust in God’s grace to do the rest. In short, we do what’s possible and then God does the impossible.
I have been thinking a lot about that principle over the past few weeks and how it relates to different aspects of our lives with Christ. I applied that principle to my thinking about social justice. I definitely cannot solve all of the problems in the world or stop every injustice on the planet. I can, however, contribute in ways that are possible for me and trust that God will do something amazing; I do what is possible for me and trust that God will do the impossible. So while supporting two World Vision kids won’t make everything right, it is something that I can do and then trust in God to do the rest.
This principle also has implications for our relationships with Christ and the process of sanctification. It is impossible for me to transform myself; I just can’t do it. I can do all the right things and avoid all the bad things but, in the end, it is up to God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to transform me. I can’t transform myself but I can cultivate my life to better prepare it for that transformation. That is the value of spiritual disciplines and doing all those “good things;” those practices and actions don’t transform us, but they put us in a much better place to be transformed. It is through a miracle of God’s grace that he takes our small efforts and completely transforms us.
The Christian life is about so much more than just doing good things; it is about encountering unending love and amazing grace.
That love and grace transform us.
That love and grace sanctify us.
That love and grace make us more the people we were created to be.
Love and grace are foundational to a life with Christ and they transform us and make us new. We trust in God to do the impossible through his love and grace. However, we don’t just sit idly by, waiting for love and grace to transform us. We need to live our lives and do something; we need to do what we can and prepare our lives to be transformed. We don’t trust in disciplines and actions to transform us, but we know that they cultivate a life and ready it for transformation. The impossible is transformation. The possible is us preparing ourselves for that transformation.
What “good things” help prepare your life for transformation?
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