Leviticus 6, Matthew 6, 1 Thessalonians 4
When I was in elementary, middle, and high school my achievement goal was average. I felt if I made a “C” I was doing pretty good. If I made a “D” that was okay, but not as good as a “C.” Back in my day, a kid could fail and have to repeat a grade for getting too many F’s, so I wanted to avoid those if possible. There are a lot of Christians that consign themselves to average Christianity. In comparison to others they are pretty good. In comparison to some they need to grow more. In their minds that is okay.
In his letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that God is not looking for us to be average or below average Christians. He tells them,“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…” “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” 1 Thessalonians4:3, 7NIV
God has only one standard or goal for us all. It can be described as sanctification, or perfection, or holiness. Those descriptions of God’s goal all mean the same thing and that is Christlikeness. Next time we are tempted to compare ourselves to some other Christian so that we can feel good about average or below average, we need to compare ourselves to Jesus and see how close we are to God’s goal for us.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for sending your perfect Son, Jesus to live among us and teach us so we would know how to live. Help me to not be happy or comfortable being an average or below average Christian. Help me to keep striving for sanctification and a holy life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thinking About and Being a Child of God 