You are Complete

On a rainy afternoon about to sit down to finish my Bible Study, I hear my familiar beloved sound of the cardinal.  He sounds so close, so of course I get up to look for him.  I go to my kitchen to look in the Crepe Myrtle that I often see him lounging in, and there he is on my window sill.  To my surprise, it's not one that I expect to see this time of year.  It's a baby!!

I had just been studying in God's Word in Colossians 2:9-10 that we have been given all the "fullness of Christ" and that we are totally complete in Him.  When we receive Christ as our Savior we are given, according to 2Peter 1:3, "everything that we need for life in godliness".  That doesn't mean that we are totally mature in Him, but we can be confident, as said in Philippians 1:6 that Jesus will mature us, as He completes His work in us.

So...back to the cardinal.  By looking at him, if you aren't a cardinal lover like I am, there is nothing about his appearance that would let you know that he is one.  He has to mature and be made more complete as he grows.  Does that make him any less of a cardinal?  No.  His identity as a cardinal is secure.  No matter if he looks like a cardinal or even acts like one, his identity is still that he is a cardinal. As is our identity in Christ...many of our lives may look like this cardinal, but He is still completing His work in each of us.  As this cardinal grows and matures, his features will become who he's been created to be...but not without time and maturity.  Soon, the gorgeous red feathers and the vibrant orange beak will emerge, but not without a lot of growth.

We are all in process, being formed and transformed more into the likeness of the One who created us and loved us enough to save us.  You are COMPLETE in Jesus!