Reading John Calvin on the Christian's pursuit of godliness in this present life, I was encouraged by his realistic view: sometimes we are only "crawling on the ground" towards godliness, but we must still keep our eyes on that goal. God has predestined and called us to be conformed to Jesus image, He will bring us there. He will help us to crawl, and one day He will complete the work altogether when we stand in His presence....
“The spiritual commencement of a good life is when the internal affections are sincerely devoted to God, in the cultivation of holiness and justice. But seeing that, in this earthly prison of the body, no man is supplied with strength sufficient to hasten in his course with due alacrity, while the greater number are so oppressed with weakness,that hesitating, and halting, and even crawling on the ground, they make little progress, let every one of us go as far as his humble ability enables him,and prosecute the journey once begun. No one will travel so badly as not daily to make some degree of progress. This,therefore, let us never cease to do, that we may daily advance in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair because of theslender measure of success. How little soever the success may correspond with our wish,our labour is not lost when to-day is better than yesterday, provided with true singleness of mind we keep our aim, and aspire to the goal, not speaking flattering things to ourselves, nor indulging our vices, but making it our constant endeavour to become better, until we attain to goodness itself. If during the whole course of our life we seek and follow, we shall at length attain it, when relieved from the infirmity of flesh we are admitted to full fellowship with God.” (5)
which shines brighter and brighter until full day."
- Proverbs 4.18, ESV
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