“Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:4
What God created not only comes from Him; but it also continues to receive its life from Him. He is the source of all life, including you and me. We are complete when we are in a dependent relationship upon Him. The God that created us is a good God, a loving Father to us. Our relationship is not only necessary, but it is also meant to be personal and fulfilling. Our reliance upon God is to be entire, so as we willingly yield to His loving and trustworthy leadership, we experience wholeness and wellness. We are complete when we are positioned in Him.
What sin does is to take us away from God; away from our life source. In so doing, we aren’t just separated from God, but we are twisted from our original design. We experience a spiritual deformity that also affects us in all areas of our being. Instead of being complete in God, we became lacking, deformed, broken, unhealthy, and the like. We have attempted to complete ourselves, trying to control our world, relationships, work and our lives. However, we are missing something; we are missing God.
Sin is a control issue. Instead of embracing our dependent relationship on God, we want to be self-sufficient. We want to be out from underneath God’s control, but the only way to be in relationship with God is to be positioned in surrender. God didn’t create us because He wanted to control us; He created us for the same reason good parents have children – you want to love the life you create. Through Jesus Christ, we can come back to God, but God doesn’t just want a part of us, He wants the whole enchilada – He wants our whole heart.
When God asks us for our whole heart, He isn’t going to hold back from us and not give us all of His life. He wants us to have His whole enchilada – He wants us to be complete! Complete is all, unimpaired, unbroken, undiminished, undivided, intact, cured, unsevered, unbruised, recovered, strong, well, perfect! Our wholeness is complete in every way. It starts with our spiritual rebirth, but God continues to work on us, restoring us back to the life He offers us through His Son, Jesus.
Application: Our surrender to the Lord is not just a one-time thing. Everyday is a surrender, allowing God to have every part of our lives. Where are you at in the process of salvation? What is God wanting to restore in you? Allow Him to work and experience fulfillment and joy!