Would
you like to be a complete and whole person?
What would you do to find completeness?
What would you give?
I
struggle in my walk with the Lord. Does
that surprise you? I have had people
share with me that I always seem to have it “all-together.” “Linda, you always
dress well and are well groomed.” “If I
had your beauty I could have gone far.”
“You always have a smile on your face; I wish things went as well for me
as they go for you.” They turn to me to
ask about scriptural things. “Is there a
scripture in the Bible about _______?”
“Ask Linda, she probably knows.”
They also comment about my singing.
“I love to hear you sing, you have such a beautiful voice.” People see me for how I look, what I do and
what I know, but they do not know that all this is just the ongoing
manifestation of my struggle as I walk with the Lord. You see, like you, I am a work in progress:
“So then,
my dearest friends, as you have always followed my advice—and that not only
when I was present to give it—so now that I am far away be keener than ever to work out the salvation that God has given
you with a proper sense of awe and responsibility. For it is God who is at
work within you, giving you the will and the power to achieve his purpose.” Philippians
2:12-13 (Phillips Translation)
This
verse used to confuse me but now I understand it. When I accepted Jesus as my Savior He
redeemed me, saving me from the death sentence my sins required. But there is a part of me that the redemption
is not completed in yet. That is my soul
(mind, will to do, intellect, and emotions).
Therein lies the struggle of walking with the Lord, for as He calls me
one way my emotions often tug me the other, or my logical mind does not grasp
the way of His Spirit, or my desires (will to do things) are opposite of what
He wants. Struggle I will until I yield
to Him in each area that finds itself in opposition to God. You see, every
area people see as a success only became so
because I yielded each and CONTINUE to yield each to the Lord. He is my success Maker. He is making me complete. Ah for the day when it is finally
accomplished and I stand before Him complete.
So,
I ask you again, would you like to be a complete and whole person? What would you do to find completeness? What would you give? A man asked Jesus how to accomplish something
similar:
“And
behold, there came a man up to Him, saying, Teacher, what excellent and
perfectly and essentially good deed must I do to possess eternal life? And He said to him, Why do you ask Me about
the perfectly and essentially good? There is only One Who is good [perfectly
and essentially]—God. If you would enter into the Life, you must continually
keep the commandments. He said to Him,
What sort of commandments? [Or, which ones?] And Jesus answered, You shall not
kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear
false witness, honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your
neighbor as [you do] yourself. The young
man said, I have observed all these from my youth; what still do I lack? Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, have that spiritual maturity which
accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give
to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be My disciple [side
with My party and follow Me]. But when
the young man heard this, he went away sad (grieved and in much distress), for
he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:16-22 AMP
Are you ready to start your successes. Again I ask, what would you do? What
would you give? What is it that is
hindering you from that complete walk with Jesus? What is so precious to you that it stops you
from going “all-out” for God? Do not go
away “sad (grieved and in much
distress)”; quit struggling and give it to him. Start your journey to completeness today.
