Hebrews 12:1 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

Lights are dimmed. The speaker is speaking in front about how God is good and how He loves you so. In the whim of it all, you feel God’s preeminent presence and you just know. You are in this. You are with God. And you surrender, if not re-surrender, your life to Him.

In the spur of the moment, you knew it was the right decision. In the spur of the moment, you took that leap of faith and trusted God. His love has captivated you. His love has won you over.

But what now? Going through those exit doors, what awaits us? 

Some of us will not handle the pressure. Some of our oaths will just be in effect within the church’s four-cornered walls; at least, that seems to be the pattern.

This has been an observation. At least in my point of view, I discern that students or even the general church population have received and believed in Christ; But, they do not know how to get from point A to point B. Some don’t even know that there is a point A to point B. They are not aware that there is a process of transformation that God is calling us to undergo, as believers. 2 Corinthians 3:18 states this:

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

We are called into the image of Christ- to embody the personhood of Christ. No, it is not enough to stay as we are from the moment we received and believed in Christ. We are called to change. We are called to transform. And there is a process.

The problem lies in our inability to genuinely transform. In our minds, we try to make ourselves believe that our past is now in the past, yet our reality is far from the truth. There is a missing piece of the puzzle, commonly referred to as the journey from point A to point B. We need to address this, knowing far too well that there is a step-by-step procedure towards getting to that state of perfection. We are called to be perfect, anyways.

Matthew 5:48 (ESV)

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I was asking God how to write this piece. Only to be dumbfounded that He was feeding me verses all along. It says in 1 John 2:5 (NLT):

1 John 2:5 (NLT)

⁵ But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.

Here, we can see that obeying God is actually a prerequisite of really belonging to Him. And obedience to God satisfies the command according to Mark 12:30-31 (ESV):

Mark 12: 30-31 (ESV)

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Considering that we’re not yet perfect, what do we ought to do? What then should really matter? 

God is not surprised by our shortcomings. But, the quality of God being gracious should not be an excuse for us to continue sinning. It says in Romans 6:15 (ESV):

Romans 6:15 (ESV)

15 “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

Still, this is not to nullify the grace of God whenever we sin. Remember, the objective is perfection, but that doesn’t mean we should not enjoy the journey. Progress towards perfection is better than stagnancy. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (CSB) states:

2 Corinthians 12:9

9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.”

At the end of the day, God knows our hearts. God knows our intentions. It says in Luke 16:15 (ESV)

Luke 16:15 (ESV)

15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

God knows our hearts and what really matters now is obedience. As we obey God, we prove to Him that we really do love Him. At the end of the day, by experience, we will go through instances wherein His commands will force us to re-evaluate who or what is more weightier in our hearts. He will ask us to let go of certain mindsets. He will transform our thinking, if we allow Him, for the greater common good- His purposes.

Obedience is what gets us from point A to point B. Our love for God enables us to go from glory to glory– for Him and His purposes. Philippians 2:13 (CEV) claims:

Philippians 2:13 (CEV)

13 God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.

The question is: Do you love God enough to obey Him today?