“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself...”
2 Peter 1:3 NLT
Do you find yourself struggling to live a godly life? Like, you’ve been trying to wrestle out this one thing, or maybe a few, and you just can’t seem to nail it down. And it affects everything else. Maybe it’s your words you can’t keep control of, or a cycle of thoughts that just butt in and you can’t seem to stop them. Maybe it’s the hackles that raise up on your neck whenever *that person* comes around, or your propensity to self-soothe with food or spending or binging. Whatever it is, you know it’s an area that needs work, but you just can’t seem to make any headway.
I have another question for you. Do you know Him, the One who called you to Himself? Do you pray to hear from Him? Do you study your Bible to discover His heart? Do you peer into the everyday moments of your life, looking for every trace of Him? Bet you didn’t expect those kinds of questions, did you. The godly life is about becoming like God, and we become most like the people we spend time with and adore.
It’s the difference between a parent humoring his child by dressing like the child’s favorite character and the child putting on the costume and acting just like her favorite character. The parent gives a solid try, but he doesn’t adore the character so he won’t get the voice just right or put his hand on his hip exactly so or respond to a crisis in a true-to-character way. Don’t worry, though, the child will be able to correct him, because the she knows and loves the character.
Jesus told us that His way is not burdensome. He took care of the impossible task of purchasing our freedom and forgiveness. Now everything we need for a godly life is available to us in relationship with Him. It was never about striving more, but falling more deeply in love with the One who already and forever deeply loves us. The strivers believe their efforts will win them love and prove they are worthy to be accepted. Trouble is, in Christ none of that striving matters anymore. It wasn’t effective before Christ, and it is even less effective now. Why? Because love has never had to be earned. Right standing before God is not merely a legal transaction; Christ reconciled the wayward beloved to the broken-hearted, spurned Lover. Yes, evil and sin must be atoned for, but Christ is the only one who could pull that off. As for the rest of us, all that is ours to do is respond to the lavish grace poured out in us, turn towards Love, and enter the Way that will wind a path into the very heart of God. Everything for the journey has already been graciously given us, received as we continue to accept the invitation to know intimately Love.
