How can we have the desire and ability to live as children of God?

Have you ever really wanted to do something but it appeared to be so daunting, so beyond your ability at the time, that you gave up what desire you had and didn’t even try?

I think some people might approach the Christian life like that, especially when they open their Bibles and read something like this …

“But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect,” Matthew 5:48.

Or maybe something like this …

“So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy,'” 1 Peter 1:14-16.

Or even something like this …

“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did,” 1 John 2:6.

Some churches and ministers panic when people ask what these scriptures might mean, and how could anyone possibly live them out. I know of multiple churches who have taken an opposite approach and publicly promote their local congregation as a church for “imperfect people.” Some say, “We don’t even want perfect people here!”

Have they read the Bible?!

Instead of dodging reasonable questions, we only benefit people when we help them understand what such scriptures mean for us, and how we can be obedient to them. For example, there’s another scripture that answers the query of how someone could really have the genuine desire, along with the ability, to live as a child of God the way God wants us to. Check out this verse:

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him,” Philippians 2:13.

God is busy at work in us, changing us so that we really are able to fully desire living as His faithful and obedient children, and providing us with all the power we need to do what pleases Him. When we understand this to be true, living the Christian life is no longer daunting, but doable through God working in us. Instead of being taught to settle for something less than obedience to scripture, we need to learn what God wants of us, and then trust Him in what He says about giving us both the desire and ability to please Him.

Other scripture help us understand that in addition to God Himself changing and empowering us, He has provided others in the church to help us grow in our journey of becoming like Jesus. The Apostle Paul explained it this way:

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church,” Ephesians 4:11-15.

Don’t respond to what might seem difficult and daunting by lowering the standard. Let’s learn to trust God and His transforming work that enables us to live up to, and live out, what pleases Him.

Scotty