Knowing two truths is essential for our spiritual advancement.
1. Our utter inability and failure to conform to God's perfect designs.
2. God's perfect love, acceptance, and embrace of us because of Christ, regardless of those failures.
To see the importance of Pursuing God, we must understand these ¹two vital truths.
1. The ²negative impact not pursuing God has on us and others.while also fully understanding
2. God's perfect and total acceptance and embrace of us (when we are in Christ), regardless of our failures, circumstances, or indifference.
The first
Is about understanding our design as creatures in our Creator's image and the significance of not living according to that design. It is understanding why we are here - what our purpose is - and respecting (fearing) God's commitment to conform us to that purpose and design - for our greatest good and His highest glory - and the consequences if we refuse to live according to His design.
The second
Is the good news of God's perfect acceptance and embrace of us and His perfect commitment of unrelenting love to us - because of Christ's efforts and performance to perfectly honor God - regardless of our failure to conform to His designs and lack of honoring Him.
These 2 realities are in tension (and appear to be at odds). Both are vital. We must constantly and deliberately work to keep them in view and in balance.
If we are struggling with guilt and shame over our failures and shortcomings, we must meditate on God's infinite love and perfect acceptance of us and how He uses even our failures to bring about His ultimate purpose and perfect design for us.
If we are indifferent to faithfully pursuing God, we must meditate on God's relentless commitment to conforming us to His design for our highest good and His greatest glory; the positive results of our conformity and the negative consequences if we don't.
Both are vital in our pursuit of God and equally true as if the other was not true.
For a further discussion on the consequences of not conforming to God's design click here
For a further discussion on being perfectly freed from our internal and external struggles click here.
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²the reason is God designed us to be in alignment with him, who He is. If and when we are not we do not function to the maximum of our potential (positively) and things break down or short circuit (negatively).
