A Work in Progress
A Work in Progress…
Have you heard the children’s song?“He’s still working on me.To make me what I ought to be.It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars; the sun and the earth; and Jupiter and Mars.How loving and patient He must be…cause He’s still working on me.”I remember singing that with my children when they were small.It’s a catchy tune and reminds us that we are a work in progress.
Such a simple song – such a simple concept – He’s still working on me.We know that in theory we are a work in progress, don’t we?We know that we are supposed to be growing more Christ-like.But…what are we doing about it?You see, it is just like anything else.If we want it – we have to work for it.The same is true for losing weight, being fit; becoming financially secure, getting a promotion; earning a spot on the team and everything else worth having.It doesn’t just happen.We can’t just wish for it and expect it to be.We have to choose to pursue it.
But with most of the things listed above – we postpone and delay doing what we should do.We decide to skip the scales and have a muffin today.What could one muffin possibly hurt?Exercise?Who has time for that?We know we should save more money and plan for our future.We will be sure to get around to that soon.But the truth is – without cooking healthy food, sweating through a workout or sacrificing to save – none of those things will ever happen.So, if we know that we are a work in progress – what will we progress to if we are not intentionally focused on growing to be more like Christ?
Just like a child matures emotionally overtime – we, as Christians are to be maturing, growing up in Christ.How can we do that?Well, maybe we should make a list:
- We must first realize our need for Christ. We go through life making decisions and plans as if we are in control. We are not. And just like our children do not think they need us, we often forget that we need Jesus. We need Him most – more than food or water, more than our family, more than our belongings. We need Jesus. We need Him living in our hearts, ruling over our lives, and directing our thoughts, our actions and our plans.
- We need to make Jesus a bigger part of our everyday life. We can start our day spending time with Him. Just like we think, “I need a cup of coffee.” What if we started our day with, “I need some time with Jesus!”? We can change what music we listen to, what shows we watch on television and what we read. We can keep scripture in front of us through printed verses, screen savers and devotional apps. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing”. Jesus is our friend and is with us all the time. We can talk to Him. He is listening.
- We need to choose to take steps to grow up in Christ. It is not going to just happen. We must be intentional. Get into the Word! It is awesome! We can never spend enough time reading, studying and gaining understanding of God’s word. We can attend a Bible teaching, Bible preaching church. We can participate in Bible Studies. We can use a Study Bible that clarifies the scripture and helps us to better understand what God is teaching us. (I use the Nelson Study Bible NKJV – but there are many great ones to choose from.) If we do not even know what God’s word says - how can we ever become obedient? The only way is to humbly submit our life, our will, our ways to Him. We can offer ourselves up for change as we learn and apply His teachings into our lives.
Yes, we are a work in progress.Today we can choose to make progress and to grow and become more and more like the One who gave His life for us.
Ephesians 4:13-15 says,: ”till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, inthe cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ.”
Our final goal – as a work in progress - is maturity in Christ, truth and love.It is where we should be headed.God is so good and loves us just as we are.Let’s all love Him enough to grow up – to mature in our faith – to walk in truth – and to love as He loves.
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