Destiny

What is God doing? When I receive salvation by faith in His Son Jesus, is He done with me? Is the rest left up to me? Most Christ followers would say "no", but unfortunately most don't live their lives that way. I believe that many people who call themselves "Christian" live a performance based Christianity. Most would say that they believe in "grace" but their lifestyle says that they believe like the old saying, "if it is to be, then it's up to me". What am I talking about? What I'm saying is that a lot of Christians act like God does the saving (He gets the whole thing started) then He leaves it up to us to carry it out and make all the necessary changes. Some also believe that Christians are the agents of change in other people's lives...that it's our duty to change people over to our way of thinking...over to our way of living. Is that our job? I don't think so. We discover truth. We share truth. The changing of a life is up to the Spirit of God. The change that's necessary in my life is made by the Spirit of God. He does the changing. I'm not called to live the best I can and do the best I can to change in me what needs changing. My best isn't enough. Only He can change me. I need His best. I need Christ living in and through me by His Spirit. Christians who believe that God saves them, then the rest is left up to them are performance based Christians. They have their list of do's and dont's for themselves and especially for others. But apostle Paul said this, "By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge--a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete" 2 Corinthians 1:22. God gave us His Spirit...His pledge to us. We can't do it ourselves. That was the whole purpose of giving the Law. To show us that we can't live up to it. We need help. The Spirit is the "beginning of what HE is destined to complete." Who will complete it? HE will! That's a promise! It's a promise that I can't keep, but He can. He made my spirit new by making me alive with Christ and He's transforming my soul...my mind, will, emotions, personality, etc., to be more like Him everyday. That's our destiny.
Duane