I’ve slowly been studying through James and finding it hard to read one verse without breaking down, almost in discouragement, that I fail miserably at “being a Christian”. I can’t imagine what it would be like to try and live life for Christ without Christ. He holds me to himself while he molds, breaks, reshapes and bends me to sanctification. Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling. Yet I’m not always inclined to cling, He’s always holding me to it. “look at the cross Natalie. Look at the love Natalie. Look at the sacrifice.” So I look to Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. I can’t look at myself and have any hope that one day the “mirror” in James will show me any spiritual success. I have to look at Jesus, hope in him that he will bring faiths fruit to full ripening in me.
Sunday I heard a message that pierced my heart to the core. It was from 1 John2:15-17.( Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.) As we were encouraged to examine our hearts and bring to the surface those things that are from the world that are preventing us from loving the world the way the Father does. It wasn’t the first time I’ve done something like that but for the first time I wasn’t examining the material things I’m attracted to in this world or the cultures of the music world or the styles of the age. Frankly, I’m not so caught up in most of that. What I did see was my aptitude for an attitude that is worldly. A selfish attitude. A prideful attitude. A sarcastic attitude. A desperately wicked heart. Oh Lord, Save me from myself! Did Christ display those attitudes? Was he impatient with people? Was he self-centered? Not at all.
As I began to read through the rest of the book of 1 John this morning it came to light that I am in great need of being sanctified. Surprise! But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:5-6 ESV)
I want the love of God perfected in me. Don’t you? Where is your heart in relation to loving the world the way Christ does? I pray that the Body of Christ will grow in love with its Savior and out of love with the course things that proceed out of this fallen world of sin.
