Renewal Is a Process, Not a Performance
“…being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.” - Colossians 3:10b (CSB)
We live in a world that trains us to measure progress by visible results. Faster growth. Clear milestones. Tangible success. That mindset quietly follows us into our faith, where we begin evaluating our spiritual life by how consistent, disciplined, or impressive we feel.
Paul offers a different picture.
He describes renewal as something that is being done in us, not something we complete on our own. The verb matters. Renewal is ongoing, active, and sustained by God. It is not a self-improvement project. It is a Spirit-driven transformation.
This is where frustration often creeps in. We expect renewal to feel dramatic and immediate. We assume that if God is truly at work, change should be obvious and uninterrupted. But Scripture describes growth as gradual, sometimes imperceptible, and often slow.
That does not mean nothing is happening. It means God is faithful in process.
Performance-based faith thrives on visible success. Process-based renewal depends on trust. One demands constant proof. The other learns to rest in God’s consistency even when progress feels uneven.
When renewal becomes performance, we hide our struggles. We fake strength. We measure ourselves against others. But when renewal is understood as God’s work, honesty becomes possible. Growth becomes patient. Failure becomes a place of learning rather than shame.
God is not waiting for you to maintain momentum perfectly. He is committed to completing the work He began. Your responsibility is not to manufacture change, but to remain open, surrendered, and responsive to the Spirit’s work.
Renewal is not about trying harder. It is about trusting deeper. And that trust grows slowly, through repeated moments of surrender in ordinary life.
Reflection Question
Where have you been treating spiritual growth like a performance instead of trusting God with the process?
Renewal is sustained by God’s faithfulness, not your consistency.
Prayer
Father, I confess how easily I turn growth into a performance. Teach me to trust You with the process of renewal, even when progress feels slow. Help me remain open and surrendered to Your work in me, believing that You are faithful to complete what You have begun. Amen.
We live in a world that trains us to measure progress by visible results. Faster growth. Clear milestones. Tangible success. That mindset quietly follows us into our faith, where we begin evaluating our spiritual life by how consistent, disciplined, or impressive we feel.
Paul offers a different picture.
He describes renewal as something that is being done in us, not something we complete on our own. The verb matters. Renewal is ongoing, active, and sustained by God. It is not a self-improvement project. It is a Spirit-driven transformation.
This is where frustration often creeps in. We expect renewal to feel dramatic and immediate. We assume that if God is truly at work, change should be obvious and uninterrupted. But Scripture describes growth as gradual, sometimes imperceptible, and often slow.
That does not mean nothing is happening. It means God is faithful in process.
Performance-based faith thrives on visible success. Process-based renewal depends on trust. One demands constant proof. The other learns to rest in God’s consistency even when progress feels uneven.
When renewal becomes performance, we hide our struggles. We fake strength. We measure ourselves against others. But when renewal is understood as God’s work, honesty becomes possible. Growth becomes patient. Failure becomes a place of learning rather than shame.
God is not waiting for you to maintain momentum perfectly. He is committed to completing the work He began. Your responsibility is not to manufacture change, but to remain open, surrendered, and responsive to the Spirit’s work.
Renewal is not about trying harder. It is about trusting deeper. And that trust grows slowly, through repeated moments of surrender in ordinary life.
Reflection Question
Where have you been treating spiritual growth like a performance instead of trusting God with the process?
Renewal is sustained by God’s faithfulness, not your consistency.
Prayer
Father, I confess how easily I turn growth into a performance. Teach me to trust You with the process of renewal, even when progress feels slow. Help me remain open and surrendered to Your work in me, believing that You are faithful to complete what You have begun. Amen.
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