The Next Step
We need to constantly turn to Christ to show us the next step towards
Him that we can make.
As mentioned
yesterday, the Christians in Thessalonika were evidently on the right track in
many regards, inspiring Paul to give thanks to God for their inspirational
conduct. But Paul doesn't say the Thessalonians are "good enough"
now, and there's no longer any room for improvement! Instead, Paul writes,
"We earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received
from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God - and as you are
conducting yourselves - you do so even more!"
In striving to
become saints, you and I need to humbly (and constantly!) admit that we each
have room for improvement. When we figure that we're basically living an
overall "good" life, it's easy to slip into a degree of spiritual
smugness, but that's the very poison that will kill spiritual progress.
Instead, we need to
constantly turn to Christ to show us the next step towards Him that we can
make. And coming closer to Christ always means shunning all sin, "for God
did not call us to impurity, but to holiness."