Layering with God

I went out to dinner with family and friends the other night. We had Italian, one of my favorites. The lasagna was calling my name. I love all the different levels used to get the right taste. Sometimes it takes layers to make things perfect. Your skin is another example. Without the layers your insides wouldn’t be protected. And don’t get me started on the wonderful layers of cake.

Another thing that has levels to it is your walk with God. You don’t just wake up one day and become a mature Christian. It takes time and effort. There are layers you must input in order to become the person God wants you to be.

The first layer is acknowledging Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You must accept Him into not only your heart but with your mouth as well. Romans 10:9 says, If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Then you need to grow in your faith. That means reading the Bible, learning from other Christian people. Spend time in meditation and prayer so you learn to listen to God’s voice. In Joshua 1:8, it reads, Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. In order to be successful in your walk with God, you must spend time with Him and His word. Too many people these days don’t open their Bibles. They rely solely on someone else to tell them what God means. Not everyone is right in their interpretation of the Bible. That is why you must read it yourself.

Another layer to growing in the Lord is by telling and showing others that you are a believer. We’re told in 1 Peter 2:9 to … declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

The final layer in your walk should be to surrender all of your life and thoughts to Jesus. Everything you do and say should be with the Lord in mind. We should trust in Him to run our lives totally. Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

It is after all these layers, all this effort that enables believers to be secure in knowing God has our best interest. And isn’t the top layer? Knowing He loves us and cares for us no matter who we are which in turn gives us confidence to release everything to Him. And it’s not just any type of love, but a perfect love.

Like the Earth’s crust or lasagna that wouldn’t be good without layers, so is your walk with Jesus. Everything good takes time. And once you put in the effort to get to really know God, joy will be your final reward.