Subtle & slow

Character is seldom built in a day. A little bit of formation each day can slowly grow into something life changing. The more we practice it with our mind, heart, strength, and soul, the more we can be developed into it. This requires perseverance and endurance. It is part of the Spiritual Growth Formula. Each day we will need to persevere and sometimes struggle to stay with the forming grace of God.

Romans 5:3-5 "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

I began my journey with love and experienced amazing grace through the process. But then I chased after school and worldly success which brought emptiness and a confused soul. This back and forth has been a large part of my journey. When I give myself over to the process, become clay for the potter, I can experience love, peace, and joy. Then I get desires to have more money, toys, worldly pleasures, and choose to chase such things which robs my inward being of peace and love. I know the results of these pursuits, but I have a human brain and the human brain is easily mislead toward fame and fortune. It's easy to forget beauty and grace with God due to self-seeking. But all this can be nonsense to those who have not tasted such beauty and grace.

I know what it is like to not know. It is a very difficult thing to respond with love and generosity when our minds tell us otherwise. When our training, upbringing, raising, or learned values tell us not to have compassion on our enem, and God's instructions tell us to love our enemy, what are we going to choose to do?

When we are offended by others, are we going to choose to forget our pride and remember love or vice versa?

The journey through living by God's instructions, contrary to our own understanding, and continuing in the process, can situate us to experience spiritual realities we otherwise would not be able to witness.

This situating ourselves into abidance with God can inwardly position us to receive grace in abundance. Yet the moment we pursue self-seeking ideas and desires is the moment we position ourselves further from the vine that brings forth grace.

This inward attitude and character, building love and peace within our heart, mind, words, and deeds, brings forth humble sincerity with patience and truth.

Matthew 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."

2 Peter 1:5 - 9 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.