Devotions from Gary Thomas’s book, The Beautiful Fight

“It is spiritually toxic and personally disastrous to assume that we have ever arrived, that we can stop making progress.

God’s transforming power is at work in us. No one is a perfect example but that should not keep us from surrendering to and receiving His enabling grace to grow.

We need to be an authentic example, growing in Christlikeness with more courage, more gentleness, less self-absorption, and a greater willingness to serve.

It is selfish to use God’s grace as a reason not to grow in godliness.  Sin not only affects us but others as well. Every sin of ours has repercussions for others too.

The fact is God cares more about our true transformation than we do. God has a way of shining his light on our weaknesses that war against our profession of faith. He may order events and circumstances to wake us up to character issues we are blinded to or complacent about. We need to face these revelations with open, humble hearts.

When we stop focusing on growing, we usually regress. But even though we can’t provide a perfect example of what it means to be a Christian, we should make progress in our growth to be more like Him. Others may be influenced by our faith and progress too! The journey is worth taking!