"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Phil. 3:12
This past Sunday, my daughter and two of her friends were given the very special task of singing the special music for our church on Father's Day. Let's just say that there wasn't enough Kleenex to go around!
Not much has changed because whenever I was a child, our church loved nothing better than to see the two little preacher's kids stand up in front of everyone and sing a special song. The song that seemed to be the most requested at that time was a sweet little song by Joel Hemphill entitled "He's Still Working on Me", or as I sang it in my fine southern accent, "He's Still Workin' on Me"! The chorus goes like this:
"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 stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still workin' on me."
I have to be honest with you, I really had no clue what that song meant whenever I was a child. I sang it because everyone thought it was cute and they would grin great big at us while we sang and then clapped nice and loud whenever we were finished. I just figured that it was a song about kid's growing up and then one day when we were adults, God would finish working on us and we'd be exactly how He'd want us. Boy, was I wrong!
I was wrong because He continues to work on me! Not only does He continue to work on me today, but I now know that His construction job on my life never ceases. My life is a literal work in progress whenever it comes to my faith and my walk with Him.
One of my favorite lines from "He's Still Working on Me" says:
"There really oughta be a sign upon my heart: "Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part.""
Oh, that I could make signs to go around and stick on everyone's shirts that says: Don't judge me . . . God's still working on me!
I am convinced that the majority of Christians fall into one of two camps. They either fall into the camp where their faith is standing still and basically stagnant or waning. Or, they fall into the camp where they demean the growth they have made in their walk with God because they compare themselves to a fellow Christian who appears to be much stronger in their faith. Unfortunately, I don't see many Christians who are truly allowing God to work on them and who are not yielding to the temptation of comparing themselves to others.
You are where you are because of what God has allowed to transpire in your life. Take those situations, stop comparing yourself to your neighbor, and press on in your walk with the Lord and let Him work in your life. The life that God desires for you to live can only be lived by you and your situations and circumstances can't compare to anyone else's.
Paul told the church at Philipi that in no way was his walk with the Lord perfect, but he was pressing forward everyday until he reached the goal line in Heaven. Even Paul realized that he was a work in progress! As fruitful of a believer that Paul was, he never got to the point where God wasn't molding his heart and working on trouble spots.
Sometimes I feel as if I take two steps forward and then one step back. But you know what . . . even if I continue moving at that pace, my faith is not growing stagnant or waning, but it is gradually moving forward. I have to keep my eyes on what God is doing in my life, and not let my focus shift to the person down the road who appears to be a spiritual giant.
Are you continuing to allow God to work in your life? Your heart should be an open canvas and your life should be an ongoing work in progress. If your faith is stagnant or if you have fallen into the trap of comparing your faith to someone else's, choose to let God begin a new work in your life today. We've all got unfinished parts, and we always will! Hand one of those parts to Him and let Him begin some reconstruction in your life!
This past Sunday, my daughter and two of her friends were given the very special task of singing the special music for our church on Father's Day. Let's just say that there wasn't enough Kleenex to go around!
Not much has changed because whenever I was a child, our church loved nothing better than to see the two little preacher's kids stand up in front of everyone and sing a special song. The song that seemed to be the most requested at that time was a sweet little song by Joel Hemphill entitled "He's Still Working on Me", or as I sang it in my fine southern accent, "He's Still Workin' on Me"! The chorus goes like this:
"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 stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still workin' on me."
I have to be honest with you, I really had no clue what that song meant whenever I was a child. I sang it because everyone thought it was cute and they would grin great big at us while we sang and then clapped nice and loud whenever we were finished. I just figured that it was a song about kid's growing up and then one day when we were adults, God would finish working on us and we'd be exactly how He'd want us. Boy, was I wrong!
I was wrong because He continues to work on me! Not only does He continue to work on me today, but I now know that His construction job on my life never ceases. My life is a literal work in progress whenever it comes to my faith and my walk with Him.
One of my favorite lines from "He's Still Working on Me" says:
"There really oughta be a sign upon my heart: "Don't judge me yet, there's an unfinished part.""
Oh, that I could make signs to go around and stick on everyone's shirts that says: Don't judge me . . . God's still working on me!
I am convinced that the majority of Christians fall into one of two camps. They either fall into the camp where their faith is standing still and basically stagnant or waning. Or, they fall into the camp where they demean the growth they have made in their walk with God because they compare themselves to a fellow Christian who appears to be much stronger in their faith. Unfortunately, I don't see many Christians who are truly allowing God to work on them and who are not yielding to the temptation of comparing themselves to others.
You are where you are because of what God has allowed to transpire in your life. Take those situations, stop comparing yourself to your neighbor, and press on in your walk with the Lord and let Him work in your life. The life that God desires for you to live can only be lived by you and your situations and circumstances can't compare to anyone else's.
Paul told the church at Philipi that in no way was his walk with the Lord perfect, but he was pressing forward everyday until he reached the goal line in Heaven. Even Paul realized that he was a work in progress! As fruitful of a believer that Paul was, he never got to the point where God wasn't molding his heart and working on trouble spots.
Sometimes I feel as if I take two steps forward and then one step back. But you know what . . . even if I continue moving at that pace, my faith is not growing stagnant or waning, but it is gradually moving forward. I have to keep my eyes on what God is doing in my life, and not let my focus shift to the person down the road who appears to be a spiritual giant.
Are you continuing to allow God to work in your life? Your heart should be an open canvas and your life should be an ongoing work in progress. If your faith is stagnant or if you have fallen into the trap of comparing your faith to someone else's, choose to let God begin a new work in your life today. We've all got unfinished parts, and we always will! Hand one of those parts to Him and let Him begin some reconstruction in your life!
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