My grandmother always told me that sin is knowing what the right thing is to do, but not doing it. My father worked in quality control in a steel mill and he would have said that the aim would be to do the right thing in the right way, every single time. They would strive for “zero defects”. And me? I was the naughty one in the family who did not manage to do the right thing every time. What about you?

 

We have seen this week that the Lord is busy with a process in our lives when we grow in faith. We have found our faith to be a precious gift of God, given to all who believe in Jesus as Lord. He has provided all we need to live and to serve him. We have received so much grace! But we also have some responsibilities to grow in faith. To our faith, we must add goodness; to goodness, knowledge; to knowledge, we need to add self-control. By self-control, we discipline ourselves to stay away from evil and to pursue what God wants in our lives.

 

We were not called to part-time service for the Lord. We are not called to, sometimes, use self-control. We are called to a continuous journey with Christ. Today’s verse asks us to continue doing the right things to the glory of God and to remain steadfast in avoiding evil. We need perseverance in our faith, even when the going gets tough.

 

Our Lord’s standards are very high. Peter quoted quite a few verses in the Old Testament when he said in 1 Peter 1:15-16: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” A definition of holiness is to be separated for God’s use. Our lives should bear witness that we belong to God, that we live to honour and serve him as Lord of our lives. We were called to be disciples of Christ, being channels of his love to this world. And we were called to keep on doing the right things.

 

Paul also struggled with the requirements of personal holiness. He laments in Romans 7:15: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Then Paul asks in Romans 7:24: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” We all have felt like Paul. This is why his answer to his own question matters a lot (Romans 7:25): “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

 

Not one of us will get it right to always persevere in doing the right things and avoiding wicked behaviour. We keep on struggling against the darkness that hides deep within us. That old person in me sometimes pops up and behaves like someone who does not follow Christ. Perseverance does not mean we will be perfect in our walk with Christ. Sometimes, we will fall along the way, making the wrong choices, thinking and doing the wrong things. This makes us feel wretched, like Paul described. We need to remember who we are in Christ. Paul resolves his words in Romans 7 with the beautiful words of Romans 8:37: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Perseverance is not being perfect. It is the willingness to admit when we have sinned and to get up every time with the grace of God. It does not matter how many times we fall; it matters how many times we get up and try again. That is perseverance.

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your grace, it is new every morning! Thank you for never giving up on me, even when I think, say and do the wrong things. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for helping me to get up again when I fall and helping me to persevere in the walk of faith. Amen.