REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

For our last two devotions in our series on growing in holiness, we’re going to take a step back to see the big picture again. But at the same time, we’ll think back over the practical topics we’ve covered. Here’s a list of the areas of practical living we considered. Choose the one that stands out as the area where you most need to grow in holiness:

• Money, greed, and generosity

• Lying and keeping your word

• Submitting to authorities

• Anger and forgiveness

• Sexual purity and contentment

• Stealing and honesty

• Slander, gossip, and gracious words

• Coveting and contentment with what God has given you

As you think about those, let’s turn to Colossians 3:1-4. These verses give us such a clear and simple perspective on life as a follower of Jesus. This is the perspective on life that will help us to persevere and grow in holy living.

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

If you have turned to Jesus as your saviour and Lord, the most important thing is not what’s happening in your life here and now. It’s your past, present, and future with Jesus. I find it helpful to visualise it as “back, up, forward”:

1. When you look back, you remember that Jesus died and rose to deliver you from sin and devote you to God.

2. When you look up, you remember that your true life is safe with Jesus. He has secured an eternal inheritance for you, safely guarded in heaven.

3. When you look forward, you remember what you are eagerly waiting for: the return of Jesus in glory. When that happens, you will be raised to life and joy with him, and the only “you” left will be the new you, remade to be like Jesus.

So Paul encourages to fix both our hearts (v1) and our minds (v2) on those realities. That is, fix both your desires and your thoughts on Christ himself. Don’t get stuck focusing on what this world has to offer, or on your own troubles or failings. Work each day at developing that steady perspective of looking back, up, and forward to Jesus.

How do you do that? There are several things God has given us to help us continue clinging to his grace in Jesus. They are sometimes called “the means of grace.” We touched on one of them when we looked at the Sabbath command: gathering regularly with other believers to remind one another of the great story of salvation. That’s the story Paul has just summarised.

The two other essential means of grace are fairly obvious: filling your mind with Scripture and filling your day with prayer. We can’t gather every day, but those other tools for keeping a Christ-centred perspective are available to us every day.

So … back to the list. Decide which area of holy living you are going to prioritise over the coming weeks, or even months or years. Change can be slow, though God may also surprise you. To start with, follow our three steps:

1. Be real with God.

2. Rest in the gospel.

3. Resolve with God to live in devotion to him, by his grace and power.

After that, make a plan! What will it look like for you to work hard at growing in this? Write down your plan, or put it in your diary, or set up a regular reminder on your phone. Even better, message someone now to say, “This is what I want to work on over the next few weeks – I’m not sure how I’ll go about it yet, but can you be my holy-living buddy?” Arrange to catch up with them and talk about your plan.

In all that, one final word: Always seek to be motivated by grace, not by guilt. We all feel guilty when we fail God, even though we are objectively righteous because of Jesus. It’s probably a good thing that our sin makes us feel guilty. But guilt is a lousy motivator to change. If you expect feeling guilty to do the job, you will cling to your guilt, but it will only crush you. Resting in the gospel means, after you have confessed fully and honestly, you return to filling your mind with the grace of God in Jesus. Remember that Jesus dealt fully and finally with all your guilt. Meditate on God’s amazing love in washing you clean, delivering you and devoting you to himself – all by his grace and nothing else.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.