A Thankful Thursday (with help from William Wilberforce)

Wilberforce on perpetually immature Christians:

"There are many who satisfy themselves with what may be termed general Christianity. They feel a general penitence and humiliation from a general sense of sinfulness and have general desires for holiness. Yet they neglect this vigilant and zealous care with which they should labor to destroy every particular form of corruption. . .So we see little progress in their development of faith or in the reform of their plan of life. They will confess in general terms to be miserable sinners. But it is an expression really of secret self-complacency. We need to warn such persons that there is no shortcut to holiness."

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I'm thankful that because of the godly leadership at CrossWay Church of Lancaster, no member of the congregation can get away with "general desires for holiness." In sermons, small groups, and face-to-face conversations, my church family asks pointed questions and gives specific challenges. What sin are you struggling with? How can I pray for you? How has God shown his faithfulness to you this week? If you come to CrossWay, "self-complacency" goes out the window-- and that's just how it should be. How wonderful it is to see God's grace at work in our hearts, filing away at sin and transforming us into the image of His perfect Son!

In particular, the leaders of the young adults ministry know that "there is no shortcut to holiness," and they want us to push on through the difficult work of sanctification. Growth is hard. But the reward at the end is so very worthwhile.
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