Am I consistent enough?

 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. (2 Peter 1:4)

Sometimes we aren't sure we are doing everything that will make a difference, so that we are living in such a way that our lives truly please God. We want to live consistently in a manner that allows God to be seen through us to a hurting and searching world, but we aren't sure we are 'consistent enough'. Let me assure you of this - if you are walking with Jesus in a genuine manner - heart, mind, will and soul committed to serving him - you are 'consistent enough'. We don't always hit the mark we are aiming at, but we are taking steps in the right direction (at least generally). We aren't perfect, but God never came to redeem perfect people - he knows we will grow closer as we seek him, but we aren't as close today as we will be down the road. When we pursue him, knowing we are drawn in by his love and grace, we are being 'consistent enough'.

Pleasing God doesn't require our perfection - it requires pursuit of the right stuff, in the right time, with a right heart. The pursuit is the important part. Are you pursuing God through daily habits that will shape your heart in a manner that pleases God? That is the most important question we can address today. The habits we develop in the pursuit of God's plan for our lives are what will change our hearts. We are given an invitation to enter into the pursuit. If we have accepted the invitation, we are likely called into some new habits such as reading God's Word, prayer, and receiving good teaching through God's messages delivered by faithful pastors and teachers.

The invitation is accepted, and the pursuit begins. Sometimes we think we need to pursue in some super-spiritual way, but God isn't after our 'religious habits'. He wants us to read his Word because we want to learn more from him. He hopes our prayers will be an open expression of our heart and mind, so he can work with us about our thought patterns. He wants to change the way we see ourselves, so he uses his Word and simple truths he brings to mind when we pray to show us how he sees us. When we take in good teaching, our hearts are being transformed - especially when we take that teaching to heart and allow God to bring out more of his grace and love from within us.

The habits of 'consistency' are developed in these times together with Jesus. The more we listen, the more we will develop consistently wise choices. The more we yield our heart to him, allowing him to show us where our heart is weighing us down, we will be called upon to let go of the weights. Today we will not be as close to God as we have the potential of being tomorrow. When we take the small and consistent steps of good spiritual habits, we will be drawn closer and that freshness of intimacy with him will help us take the next steps he seeks from us. The invitation is there - take the one small step he seeks today - then keep taking that step. Before long, he will show us the next step and we will take it. Do you know what is happening when we do? We are developing 'spiritual habits' that actually are helping us develop consistency in our relationship with Jesus. So, keep stepping! Just sayin!