No Longer a Sinner - Conformed to Christ's Image

God's glory within us increases incrementally as we cooperate with His Spirit's discipline and direction. We reflect this glory to the world around us and draw people to Him who want more of Him in their life as well.

His sanctifying work starts with the rebirth of our spirit and continues throughout our lifetime, as the imperfect in us is transformed into the perfected (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2).

As God's Spirit transforms us with the mind, likeness and divine character of Christ, we change from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is not a matter of Him changing us from one stage of sinner to the next.

We are no longer a worm, but a butterfly soaring in the spiritual realm of life. Our inner man is drawn by the Spirit of God into ascending realms of spiritual maturity, rather than Him dragging us out of our penchant toward one sin and then another (Ephesians 4:13).

This sanctifying work starts with the rebirth of our spirit and continues throughout our lifetime, as the imperfect in us is transformed into the perfected (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2).

Our cooperation with God's Spirit insures that our perfection continues without disruption until we are completely conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:18; 1 Corinthians 13:12).

Christ, who is the image of God and abides within us (John 1:14, 14:9), gives us both the desire and power to work out our salvation in cooperation with God's Spirit (Colossians 1:15; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 1:3).

As we focus on Christ, as if looking in a mirror at His image in us, we reflect increasing stages of His glory. We realize that our carnal nature is all but dead, and that Christ is our whole life (Ephesians 3:3-4).

Prayer:

Father God, reveal to us that only the veil of sin, which so easily hinders us if we take our mind off Christ, will thwart our personal journey into perfection. Help us to allow Your Spirit to cut away the dead skin of the flesh, so that we walk in unity with Your Spirit and in the likeness of Christ in us.

Remind us to continually focus on Your glory reflected on the face of Christ within us. Fill us daily with Your Spirit and allow us to totally submit until He takes full possession of our body, spirit and soul - our thoughts, choices and feelings. Our whole desire in our life is to reflect Your glory to the world around us and to draw everyone in our sphere of influence to a closer walk with You.

Thought for the Day:
Our dark and sinful soul is transformed into the image of Christ as we consistently walk in His marvelous light. 

- 1 Peter 2:9

Inching through Life

We can ask God for what we want; and if He wants us to have it, He will give it to us (James 4:3). Yet, it is futile to waste time wanting what we do not have.

If we do, we are telling God that He is a poor provider and He does not have our best interest at heart (1 Peter 5:7). We are exhibiting a lack of faith in His faithfulness and exalting our self over Him.

We are also lacking in gratitude for all that He has already given to us (Philippians 4:6). We are keeping our focus on the temporal aspects of this life and functioning with human understanding.

Jesus died for us all, and rose again - giving us supernatural power so we will not live for our self, but for Him (John 3:16-18; 2 Corinthians 5:15). Jesus is the only way, truth and life; and no one comes to God except through Him (John 14:6).

Our Father God knows best. As we seek His Kingdom first, He provides us with everything we need for our spiritual, physical, emotional and mental well-being (Matthew 6:33). God also gives us wisdom as we ask for it, which guides us in our desires, thoughts and choices.

We stop inching through life as a caterpillar; and instead, we soar like a butterfly on the winds of adversity and trials. We mount up on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31); and rise above the earth as we glide on the air currents that God provides for us.

God gives us the wisdom we need to navigate through life, encourage the downtrodden, reject the devil's temptations to sin, and to make the decisions which affect the rest of our life.

Prayer:

Father God, we do not have to spend one moment longing for anything or anyone but You. We no longer love this world nor the things, which it offers us. If we really need something in our life, which we do not have, You will give it to us. You will move us to another state; or give us a different car, vocation or house; or provide us with a spouse or a child, if it is Your will for us.

Remind us to trust only in You and in Your provision and timing. You have a perfect plan for each one of us and living in the center of Your will is the happiest place on earth. We seek You with all of our heart and we rely on Your wisdom and grace to help us to navigate the decisions in our life.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is our gift and reward in this life and the next, because He is our all in all. - Colossians 1:17

Flexing Our Wings

“Our life is hidden with Christ in God.” - Colossians 3:3

In the various stages of a butterfly, we can see a beautiful analogy of our death, burial and resurrection in Christ. Our growth in spiritual awareness finds an interesting parallel in the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly. We come into this world selfishly devouring everything this civilization has to offer. Even if we codependently care for the needs of everyone we meet, we trust in our goodness rather than in Christ’s sacrifice (Ephesians 2:8-10). We continue in this meager existence until we realize our depraved state and call out to God for Salvation.

Many of us repent of our willful disobedience; but then, in the flesh we vow to spend the rest of our life in strict adherence to God’s law in a regimen of self-effort. We encase our self in the silken threads of our chrysalis of scriptural mandates. Forsaking the gift of grace, which God so freely bestowed on us at salvation, we seek to reach perfection through the Law (Galatians 3:1-3; 5:3). We feel the restriction of the shackles that we spin, but we continue to wrap the glossy threads of legalism around our life until we are completely bound up in the dark.

Fears and anxieties, which we successfully evaded in the past, begin to haunt us day and night. We feel changes taking place within our innermost being that we do not understand. Imagine being a caterpillar. Your score of chubby, little legs change into six long, skinny ones. Your round supple body shrinks to a fraction of it normal size. Suddenly wings protrude from your back. They seem to be useless appendages that will only be an extra burden to carry through life – if indeed there will be life after this dreadfully dark time of confinement.

We cry out to God in desperation, but He seems beyond our reach and unable to hear our muffled cries from within the chrysalis of the law and dead works that surrounds us. In actuality, He does hear us, but it is not time for Him to intervene. Our nature is quite changed by the power of Christ’s blood, but we do not yet appreciate this fact (2 Corinthians 3:18). The chrysalis of dead works is our prison (Hebrews 9:14). However, it also provides a certain sense of security, which we are loath to surrender.

Eventually we get fed up with our imprisonment, and we start the struggle for spiritual freedom. Slowly, we see daylight as we methodically emerge from the chrysalis of bondage to the Law and works (Galatians 5:1; Hebrews 6:1). Our personal struggle to free our self from these dead works equips us for our existence outside of our chrysalis. It is a vital part of the spiritual process. The exertion brings us to the ultimate realization of our utter helplessness and desperate need for Christ to live in and through us. We hesitate, poised on the edge of His new world. (To be continued :)

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for opening Your arms and welcoming us to come to You. We find rest in You, freedom in You and abundant life in You. We realize that this life of faith does not entirely exclude works (James 2:18). However, we only work in obedience to the promptings of Your Spirit within us (Romans 8:2). You set us free from the law of sin and death, so that we can live in constant victory through the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, as your ambassadors in this world (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Thought for the Day:
As we look at where we came from and remember our bondage to the Law and self-effort from which God freed us, we find peace and joy unspeakable and full of glory. – 1 Peter 1:8

Transformation

Read: John 16:20-22

“To all who mourn in Israel he will give: beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.” Isa 61:3 (TLB)

This morning, I thought about many things that bring joy into my life: butterflies in my garden, a humorous story, scenic beauty, receiving a desire of my heart, a tender and meaningful interaction, life-long friendships and miraculous moments. I used to find it hard to feel joyful, because God created me with a melancholy personality. However, over my lifetime, God’s Holy Spirit replaced the negative, pessimistic aspects of my personality with the fruit of His Spirit.

He replaced hatred with love, discontentment with peace, irritation with patience, criticism with gentleness, backbiting with goodness, worry with faith, pride with meekness and depression with true joy as His Spirit guided me moment by moment throughout the day.

What do the words of the fruit of the Spirit mean? Love is affection for others; Joy is exuberance about life; Peace is abiding serenity; Patience is a willingness to stick with the task; Gentleness is compassion from the heart; Goodness is kindness that pervades our entire being; Meekness is humility in service; Self-Control is living a life guided by the Spirit of God; Faith is trusting that God knows what He’s doing.

Prayer:

Lord, rebirth in me a new heart and regenerate Your spirit within me. Amen.

Thought for the Day:

God is in the transforming business.

Busy Bee

Read: James 1: 2-4

“Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” ~ James 1: 3

While weeding in my butterfly garden, I watched an industrious bee flitting from flower to flower. During this process, the pollen weighed the bee down as it gathered more and more of the gold dust on its body. I suddenly realized that in our daily life we gather the cares of the world, which weigh us down too.

There is a positive side to this story. The bee cross-pollinates as it flies from flower to flower, and the nectar is used to make honey. Rather than allowing our cares to weigh us down and give us a negative attitude, we can patiently change our focus and look at them as ordained opportunities from the Lord. They give us the opportunity to carry the Good News from one life experience to another. In every encounter we can share the love, peace and joy of the Lord with everyone we meet. This way we are a blessing wherever we go, just like the busy little bee.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for the trials of our faith, which are worth more than the finest gold, and which produce in us character that will not perish when we go through the fire of testing.

Thought for the Day:

Character tested by trials results in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.