Not being, but becoming

                                 A little food for weekend thought--

         One of our dear friends, David Dwight--who is the pastor of church in Richmond--shared a quote with us that has kept me thinking.  Martin Luther said, "This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest, but exercise.  We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it.  The process is not yet finished, but it is going on; this is not the end, but it is the road.  All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified."
         What a beautiful reminder that God is not finished with any of us yet!  Not with us, even with all our blind spots, sins, failures, and weaknesses.  Not with our children.  Not with our loved ones.  And not with those folks in our lives who may have broken our hearts, irritate us, or even drive us crazy!  (And FYI--no telling how many people we--or at least I--annoy or irritate!  So thankful for Jesus and  His amazing grace.)
         Our Almighty God is the Great I Am--eternally present, eternally working, eternally moving, eternally changing, eternally forgiving, and eternally redeeming.  Praise God!
        So if you've already messed up in this brand new year--and if you haven't, well, hmm, you might not still be breathing--take heart!  As one of our wonderful pastors, Russ, shared this morning in church, our God is the Lord of infinite mercy and grace.  No sin is too great that His grace is not greater still.  With our Savior, there are no lost causes, for He is forever the Lord "who takes failures and makes princes of God."
        What's the key?  Acknowledge our sin to God and repent--which means turn around and go the other way.  And what's the result?  Oh my, it's too good to be true...only it's totally, one hundred percent true, because God's promised in His imperfect, infallible Word: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)  "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." (Acts 3:19)
        It's never too late to start afresh.  If Almighty God never, ever gives up on us, then goodness gracious, how on earth can we ever give up on anyone?  As Luther says, our lives are not about perfect righteousness in this very moment, but about "growth in righteousness; not health, but healing; not being, but becoming...We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it."
        The Apostle Paul put it this way: "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil.1:6)
        Yes!  If you're still breathing, it's "not the end, but it is the road."  Keep traveling.  Keep trying.  Keep turning to Him in repentance.  But most of all, keep trusting in the God of all power, grace and mercy.  He's forever in the redemption and resurrection business.  As I once heard it said, "God does His best work in graveyards."  Amen!
        To God be the glory.