If I may continue …

with the theme from yesterday …

practicing and perfecting

and clear one thing up before continuing …

I still hate perfectionism.

And perhaps I look at this whole practicing and perfecting thing like this:

I want to finish well—to go to my grave content—even if that day is tomorrow—realizing that contentedness will come as a result of abiding in Christ.  So, that is my quest, goal, desire and purpose – to abide in Christ well.

It’s life long – requires practice – diligence and a host of things such as those found in 2 Peter 1:  first faith, then goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.

Can I just tell you how hard it is to add those qualities to your faith without the divine power of Jesus?  More like impossible – for me anyway.  But here’s the payoff:  participation in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).  Quite the payoff, eh?

In the words of Bruce Demarest – “Grace we must learn is opposed to earning not effort.”

Now that may seem natural to the rest of the world – but this is the stuff I seem to be learning more of in the past decade than in the previous four decades.  And still I am trying to get a handle on it.  It is indeed the tension I live in every day – living AND growing in grace.   Much of this tension goes against my natural tendencies – those tendencies that I love to blame on Adam – yes, I said Adam, not Eve (see 1 Corinthians 15:22 to agree with me and Paul).

I close in the words of one of my favorite theologians, Michael Card, give up on your pondering and fall down on your knees. See the tension!? Oh the humanity!