Closer over Time

by Kayla Erickson

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)  //  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Philippians 3:12-14 (AMP)  //  “Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

My husband and I made an unfortunate discovery shortly after we married. We both hate grocery shopping. This is problematic because, as anyone who shops for their family knows, grocery shopping is a never-ending necessity.

You spend an hour meal planning, another hour finding everything in the store, and pay enough money that you consider selling a kidney, only for all of that food to disappear in the course of three days. 

Then, like the clouds parting and the sun shining through while a majestic harp plays in the distance, we found Kroger delivery. Now I can place an order online and 12 hours later find my groceries placed outside my front door.

I love the convenience, ease, and speed of it. I click “add to cart” and I know my groceries will be there at their designated delivery time. It’s incredible!

Living in an Amazon-Prime-next-day-delivery world has added a lot of benefits to our lives. The problem with this mindset, though, is that it’s damaged our expectations in our relationship with Jesus.

We start to think of prayer or a worship service as our “add to cart” function and God’s presence as something that will appear on our doorstep in 24 hours or less, but closeness to Christ isn’t an expedient process. It’s a life-long journey that requires persistence and patience. 

Often we’ll experience this nearness to God or awareness of His presence after we commit or recommit our lives to following Him, a camp or retreat, or a powerful conference. We’re so excited by this proximity and the power of Jesus active in our lives.

Then, the weeks pass by. Distractions, discouragement, and sin overtake our internal world. We start to question what’s wrong with us, or even what’s wrong with God. 

“I’m a new creation!” You may exclaim. “If the old is gone, why don’t I feel close to God?” 

It’s true, you are, as the apostle Paul wrote, a new creation. But when Paul wrote these words, he didn’t mean that you’re permanently locked in on God’s presence from the day you choose to follow Him until you die.

Paul and the rest of the New Testament authors knew that followers of Jesus can be distracted, misinformed, struggling, confused, and imperfect. Paul himself later wrote in a letter to the church of Philippi: 

“Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” 

Paul considered himself on a life-long journey of pressing on to take hold of the way of Jesus, which inevitably leads us to experience the nearness of Jesus. This idea is what Pastor Eugene Peterson framed as a “long obedience in the same direction.”

Living closer to Christ, then, cannot be accomplished in an one-and-done or even weekly event. It’s accomplished through choice after choice, day in and day out over the course of a lifetime. 

It’s a long obedience in the same direction. 

Prayer

God, give me the persistence and patience to press on to be close to you, today and all the days of my life.