IN my career with Southern California Edison, I learn so many things. Not just the amazing industry of power production and distribution, but in the area of management – working with individuals, systems, problems, and going through an education process that was priceless. One of the invaluable lessons learned was what the term “teamwork” really meant, and how difficult it is to achieve and maintain. Teamwork was not always chief among Edison priorities, only becoming a necessity when the company began to face deregulation. A whole corporate initiative was launched called “Managing the Cultural Change,” that involved many outside consultants and trainers. But, all that is a story for another time.
A LOT of training ensued during that time leading up to deregulation. In one team training session I’ll never forget when our instructor took our “team” through a team building exercise, first laying out for us the four stages of team development: forming, norming, storming, and performing. Forming is the coming together stage of the different and varied parts. Norming is the development of relationships, norms and standards by which the parts interact. Storming is the “grinding it out,” working through the conflicts, getting the parts to fit in the process of learning to work together. Performing is the final act, “doing the team,” performing it. And then in the quest for continuous improvement, you do it again, until you get it right!
AS our instructor went through this team building exercise I couldn’t help but think of the 2Tim. 3:16-17 paradigm of instruction for growth in Christ: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (forming), for reproof (norming), for correction (storming), for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete (preforming), thoroughly equipped for every good work.
ONE note and important thing our instructor said was – and again, burned in my memory bank- to get to the successful performing stage, none of the steps can be skipped or bypassed. It’s a process. “Do the process” was our axiom for success. …All this came to mind as I read the following entry from our reading below:
The steps to maturity cannot be skipped over. Spiritual growth comes by walking in the Spirit, and He establishes us in each successive realm in preparation for the next (emphasis mine).
In other words, there are no shortcuts in growth, maturity, true Christ-like character in Him who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Do the process, and repeat the process. As Paul wrote in Phil 3:12 and Phil 1:6. – Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me; …. being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ .
TODAY’S reading is shorter than the previous. I would recommend you reading the previous posting for continuity of thought as you entering into the following consideration.
In the inexorable riches of Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10, Isa 30:15, Jas 1:2; Prov. 21:30
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Chapter 45—Romans Six Reckoning – Part 2
Although we are not to halt at the first half of our reckoning, neither are we in any way to regard that step as a superficial one. There can be no effective reckoning upon our life in Christ until we are firmly established in the truth of our having died to the old. The steps to maturity cannot be skipped over. Spiritual growth comes by walking in the Spirit, and He establishes us in each successive realm in preparation for the next. We cannot rest in our risen Lord until we know we have been positionally released from Adam through death. Neither can we rest in the process of being experientially released from the domination of the Adamic life until we know and count upon the fact that we are already loosed positionally.
True reckoning has its ultimate emphasis on the life-side of the cross; we count upon our having died unto sin in order to count upon our being alive unto God. Since we are new creations in Christ, death is forever past, we were brought out of it in Him at His resurrection. As for the old man within, we continually reckon that source to have been crucified, so that it may be held daily in the place of death. We reckon; the cross crucifies.
Look carefully at Colossians 3:3 (KJV): “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” ……..to be continued
