Monthly Archives: July 2025

Bridging The Gap

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As Christian leaders we deal with the disparity between our high calling and our personal frailties.

The apostle Paul was committed to pressing on:

“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. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12-14).

But he did so from an appreciation of being complete in Christ:

“For in Him [Christ Jesus] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power (Col. 2:9,10).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Eph. 1:3,6).

James reminds us, however, that we still fall short: “For we all stumble in many things…” (James 3:2a)

Steve Cuss, author of The Expectation Gap, noticed gaps between what he believed and what he actually experienced. He writes especially for pastors who tend to base their identity on their vocation. Steve gleaned from hundreds of conversations with pastors and congregants, and observed three common gaps:

  • I believe God loves me but I don’t feel it
  • I believe God is with me but I don’t see it
  • I thought I’d be further along by now

In his book Steve seeks to help bridge these “gaps” between our beliefs and behavior, between our aspirations and our frustrations.

May we lead the way with faith choices:

Steve Cuss has compiled a document that gives an overview of suggested sermons that could be used in leading the church through these themes.

EG Church Guide OverviewDownload