“I don’t think the goal of our walk with God is that we would understand every quirk and reaction of our souls. The goal is that we would worship and trust and be sure of the One who does understand it all.”- Judah Smith
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”- Philippians 1:6
As Judah Smith continues Chapter 9 of How’s Your Soul?, he reminds us God’s priority centers on our insides, because our insides affect everything else. However, our natural human tendency involves fixing ourselves. It’s hard to cede control of our progress and growth to God.
In contrast, Pastor Smith notes, Philippians 1:6 speaks about the progress and constancy of our souls. “He who began a good work” makes a paramount, foundational statement. Our God connection originated with God. Furthermore, our walk with God starts with God. Judah explains:
“God gets all the credit, all the glory, and all the worship because everything begins with God. . . . We exist to worship and walk with God. . . . Everything we do is predicated on the fact that we trust and follow a living God, a real God, who is big enough to begin a process in the human soul and faithful enough to finish it.”
So, Judah asks, why wait for God? Why not force change- in others and ourselves- any way we can?
Because God alone delivers authentic, lasting, soul-level change. While we coerce external compliance, God alone changes the inside, as Pastor Smith observes:
“God starts deep on the inside, and it takes time to manifest on the outside. We tend to be in a hurry to fix the outside because the outside is embarrassing. The outside gets us in trouble. God plans to fix the outside — but he is going to take his own time to get around to it.”
Today’s question: How do you live out the goal of your walk with God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Just keep walking”
