DEVOTION - Day 17

Philippians 3:12 (New International Version)
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Of course, we all want to be like Jesus. After all, that’s why the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets caught on so well. But, for those of us that need a more tangible example, we should have those in our lives that are our example or mentor. Also, we should look to people we read about in the Bible as examples of where we want to be. Paul is this for me.

As I read his teachings, my mind can’t help but to picture him as a Spiritual giant. Someone who has it all together and hardly ever fails in their walk with God. It is similar to how we probably view our pastors or deacons or maybe that person that we hear folk tales about in church history. Paul was someone that was an example to so many people and certainly lived his life with a faith that was as big as faith could probably be.

But, what we see here in Philippians is that he was not perfect either. In fact, he says that he has not yet reached his goal or attained what God has promised him. That is so refreshing to me! As one who fails often in my walk with God, I need the reassurance often of the fact that God isn’t done with me yet. I heard someone whom I view as a Spiritual giant say tonight that “we all have shortcomings and we all have blind spots.” That makes me know that I am not alone in my journey to be all that God has called me to be.

Who are your Spiritual giants? Are they worthy of the title? If so, are you in a place to ask them what they are working on in their own Spiritual journey? It is great to have those that are more mature than you spiritually in your life, but it’s also important to have honest conversations with them so you don’t set unrealistic expectations on yourself to achieve a perfection that’s just not possible here on earth.

So, pray today that God will place someone in your life as a Spiritual mentor. Ask Him to show you ways to interact with them so that you can see where they’re growing in their walk. Finally, pray for the strength to continue to grow and to not let setbacks in life to detour you from His ultimate plan for your life.