When you get discouraged at how far you still have to go, remember: God isn’t finished with you yet!

“God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29 NLT). 

Most of us had big dreams when we were young. We wanted to become something great. Maybe it was a baseball player or a ballerina or the president. 

For most of us, that dream looks a bit different today. In fact, you may even think you’ve missed out, that you didn’t become what you hoped to become. 

But here’s something you need to know: You have been called to become something significant. Or more precisely, you’ve been called to become like someone significant. 

The Bible says, “God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29 NLT). 

You’re called to become like Jesus. That doesn’t mean you’re going to become like a god. We’ll never be little mini-gods. That’s not going to happen. 

But God does want you to become godly—to become like him. He wants you to take on the characteristics of Jesus, who is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, self-controlled, and gentle (you may recognize these as some of the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23). 

Will that kind of growth happen overnight? Absolutely not. Will it happen easily? Nope. 

But you’ll get there. 

The Bible promises us this: “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT). 

Next time you think about the fruit of the Spirit and get discouraged at how far you still have to go, remember this: God isn’t finished with you yet! He is still working to make you more like Jesus.

Talk It Over

Why does God’s work to make us more like Jesus take a seemingly long time? 

When you look at the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5, which ones seem to be the most difficult for you to embrace? Why? 

What difference does it make for you to know that God will complete his great work in and through your life someday?

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This devotional © 2019 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.