Life does not consist in piety, but in striving to become devout; not in health, but in becoming healthy--as a whole, not in being, but in becoming. Not passivity, but practice. We have still not arrived, but we shall. It is still not done; it has not happened; yet it has been conceived. It has not yet shone upon all, but it has stirred all. We are not yet at home, but we are on the way.
- "On the Way", Martin Luther
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Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already
attained.
- Philippians 3:12-16
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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
- Hebrews 12:1-3
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For this week's "bible study/discussion time" (last week we looked at how God is "shrewd" with us - crossposting a little bit with the 1J13 email list), I want to look at how we are to live this Christian life. We all have different perspectives on how we're to live, what we're to be about, what God's will is for us individually and collectively, etc. But I want to dwell a little on the notion that we are to live a life that's always moving towards holiness, always pursuing righteousness, always growing and maturing in faith.

Are you burned out on "church things"? Are you tired of not having personal time, feeling that all your time goes out the door to meet other "godly" obligations? Those things aren't bad; it's just that no one else will do them so you do them to get them done. I've been there, feeling used up and taken advantage of, and it's not fun. But where am I to go with it in light of the passages above? I've got alot of thoughts right now, and you probably do, too :). But I've got to get to work - so I'll leave the floor open for "whosoever will" to jump in with first thoughts.
- posted by Rick @ 10:00