The past two weeks have been incredible and very stretching. I am living in a completely new culture, a new house, and have a new job. I also am learning how to drive a motorcycle and navigate a brand new city in a country that drives on the opposite side of the road. Not to mention, I am learning to drive in all types of weather, including torrential downpours. Yes, one of them was even this evening on my way to a soccer match! I was completely drenched and probably more like swimming in the streets would have been a be a better description of what happened. Yet, despite all the stretching, it has been an amazing adventure!
One thing is for sure, I love my new house! When my housemate and I entered our new place, it needed some serious tender loving care. The inside required painting, bathrooms cleaned, floors swept and the installation of a kitchen sink. Most Thai families place their kitchens on the exterior of the house because of the types of food they cook. And the yard was no different. We had to mow the lawn and trim all the hedges. Needless to say, it was a lot of hard work!
And there is much still to be done. We need living room furniture, a kitchen table and I need a dresser and wardrobe to hang and put clothes in. Plus, we need tons of miscellaneous items. None of this can be accomplished in a single day. Simply put, I am learning to be patient and do what I can little by little.
In the same way, God takes His time in “cleaning house” or transforming us into Christ’s likeness. When we first give our lives to Jesus, God immediately begins the transformation process. Some weaknesses He helps us overcome fairly quickly! Yet as time goes on, we realize there are other character flaws deep on the inside that take more time to remove. Victory is possible as we learn to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and continue walking with Him.
The Bible says, “I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:28-30 NLT).
Notice that God didn’t drive out all the Israelites’ enemies at once. He did it over the course of time as His people increased enough to occupy the land.
This is true for us today even though our enemies may look a little different. We face giants of selfishness, pride, self-righteousness, judgmentalism, lust, addictions, unforgiveness, anger, bitterness…etc. Some enemies God removes quickly, just like He did when the Israelites first went into the Promise Land. Others can take years, maybe even decades, before we experience victory. The key is, God changes us little by little over time. During this process, the temptation we often face is to focus on how far we have to go or what’s not right with us right now. Resist that temptation! Instead, focus on all the incredible victories that God has already won in your life. Learn to enjoy the journey and lean on God moment by moment. He will help you overcome every enemy, every character flaw and all the challenges you will ever face. In Christ, we are more than conquerors. Rely on His grace when you fall short, receive His forgiveness and remember, the moment you accepted Jesus into your heart, you became right with God. Your sin has been paid for in full. Your debt has been settled. What isn’t finished, though, is your conformity to the likeness of Christ. That will be ongoing until the day you meet Jesus face to face and you receive your new glorified body. Until then, you will be a work in progress being changed little by little. So, relax and enjoy the journey.
Cory, this made me laugh out loud… the beginning anyway and such a good reminder that we don’t have to be perfect… God takes His time and we can enjoy the journey… His grace is sufficient… good good good and good… being stretched right along with you, different but still feels a little like gumby… 🙂
at least gumby is cute and kind of funny… 🙂 Take Care…
Cory,
To mature, as Believers in Christ, we must be willing to make a faith-filled journey with Christ Jesus and acknowledge our limitations and imperfections. This makes us more dependent on Him yet, He gives us more power and grace to overcome the insurmountable and to accomplish the impossible. He even allows us to share His glory with Him because it is still His Spirit in us working out the supernatural.
Your blog postings highlight all that & more. I celebrate the good work that the Lord is doing through you and commend your obedience. Remain faithful in the Lord and in His calling over your life.
Love your blog bro!!