Going On to Perfection

Dingmans Ferry
Prayer Grove

Remember
Ukraine

And all of us, with unveiled faces,

seeing the glory of the Lord

as though reflected in a mirror,

are being transformed

into the same image

from one degree of glory to another. 

(from 2 Corinthians 3:12—4:2)

Imagine for a minute you have loaded up the car for a four hour drive to Wherever Park. The kids are really excited imagining it as a fun place to be for a week. Then two hours into the drive you hear from the back seat:

"Are we there yet?"

Behind my former church is a hill rising from a field making it a great winter sliding place.  One Sunday the youth group planned to go tubing and build a small jump for excitement. After MUCH coaxing, I chose to take my turn. Forgetting I was 65 and not 16, I picked up a tube, sat down and off I went. After 2 seconds of sliding, I realized I had no clue about guiding a tube. I slid out of control, flew over the jump, got separated from the tube and ended up in some bushes. 

I was there!

"Going on to perfection" is one of Wesley's teachings about God's grace.

Going on to perfection is much more than practicing something until you get it right. I could practice tubing for a long time and never slide flawlessly.

Going on to perfection Wesley believed, is through Sanctifying grace, which is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, as we follow Jesus towards union with God. 

As Paul says, it changes us "from one degree of glory to another".

Sometimes life can be like rough tubing. 

We find ourselves on a downhill slide realizing life is out of control and we don't know what to do. We hit a bump and go flying.

Going on to perfection, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, give thanks to God, and continue on our way following Jesus.

The rough tubing has ended in knowing we are loved by God as Jesus taught. 

Jesus says you'll make it. God loves you.