God calls us to live lives marked by holiness. God could have arranged the world in such a way that when we put our faith in Christ, he immediately “zaps” us with the full measure of holy character. He could have arranged it this way, but in his wisdom he didn’t.
Instead, God has called us to a lifetime of laboring toward holiness. He has called us to diligently put off every sinful thought, desire, and behavior and to deliberately put on the full measure of righteousness. He calls us to “strive…for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). To strive is to make a great effort toward a goal or achievement. It is to labor, to strain, to toil, to work incessantly to attain victory.
Jen Wilkin says “We will not wake up ten years from now and find we have passively taken on the character of God.” That is impossible and unrealistic. It is sinful and lazy. If we wish to have the character of God, we must apply ourselves to the Word of God and allow it to shape and mold us until we are conformed to his image. What a wonderful and noble goal! And what a fitting reward for our labor.
