Imagine looking into the face of your baby, knowing great and terrible things will be part of his life. Before Jesus was born, the angel Gabriel told Mary her son would be great. He was to be called the Son of the Most High and God would give him the throne of David. Many mothers dream of greatness for their sons, but Mary was actually promised, before his birth, that her son would be a king.
Later at the temple, Joseph and Mary were amazed at the words of Simeon, who, after seeing the face of Jesus, said he had seen the salvation of the Lord. He also told them their son was "destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35).
While still at the temple, Joseph and Mary were again brought face to face with the destiny of their baby. Anna recognized Jesus as the Messiah and confirmed his work of redemption.
Life progressed somewhat normally for a while, until once again in the temple, Jesus himself offered a glimpse of what he surely would have known by now about his future. In Luke 2:49, he told his parents he must be about his father’s business, and they probably figured out he wasn’t talking about building furniture.
No one knows when Jesus first realized who he was and why he had been born. And while Mary didn’t know the details, she did know this was no ordinary child. I’m sure she woke up nights, pondering the whole incredible scenario of his amazing birth and life.
We read the Bible account of the birth of Jesus from the perspective of knowing what God had in store for his only son. Our hearts break as we imagine the soft, sweet face of the newborn eventually covered in blood and bruises. We shudder as we think of the toddler in his dad’s shop, playing with nails similar to those that will one day pierce his hands and feet. We agonize over the teenager, with fuzzy face and an almost-there mustache, who will finally rest in a tomb after a painful, degrading death.
At this time of year, we rejoice, just as Mary must have done, at the birth of the precious child. We sing, like the angels in heaven, to finally realize the dream of the ages—Emmanuel, God with us.
As we celebrate Christmas this month, let’s remember Jesus’ birth with all the wonder, awe and reverence due the holy God of the universe. Out of love for us, he caused a baby to be born to a peasant couple, under humble circumstances, but under a magnificent star. That star served as a harbinger of the greatest destiny a baby would ever face.
"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). Merry Christmas!
NovemberWomen's ministry has provided me with some unforgettable experiences. One night I'll never forget was the Pasadena women's ministry "Evening With Emilie Barnes." Emilie is in great demand as a speaker and we were fortunate to be able to book her for this special occasion.
We were all looking forward to hearing her testimonial about converting from Judaism to Christianity, and her advice on time management and a better devotional life. I had given extra care to my appearance that evening, as I was to introduce her. But as it turned out, I hadn't paid enough attention to one crucial item of clothing. On my way to the stage, my pantyhose started to slide down my hips. I kept walking, hoping they'd stop before reaching my knees. They did. I made the introduction and safely reached my seat at the back of the room.
As I sat through the evening, I started to wonder how I was going to make it home. I had to walk uphill for about a quarter of a mile to get there. I slipped out quickly at the end, sighing with relief as I started walking along the deserted sidewalk. To my horror, one of the young men who also lived at the top of the hill fell in beside me, chatting as we walked. I grabbed my skirt, holding on for dear life, and without betraying myself, managed to get home just as the pantyhose were sagging around my knees.
So many changes have taken place in the last few years, some of us feel like those pantyhose, stretched out of shape and sinking fast.
Carl George, a Christian change consultant, says, "God makes us stretch and grow beyond where we imagine we want to go." I guess my pantyhose had been through that one too many times!
God is a big thinker and he knows just how far to stretch us. He knows what kind of raw material we are, and it's his wisdom, not ours, that sees what kind of finished product we can become. We're small thinkers who, if left to ourselves, might not even step outside our front door. Once we surrender our lives to Jesus he takes us to new and exciting places of Christian service.
He also has the ability to change us from drooping, stretched-out pantyhose into strong, flexible rubber bands. God knows our weaknesses and limitations. Through his spirit, he strengthens us and works with us so we can stretch further and further and still bounce back, ready for more.
Our job is to be available and to say, like Samuel, "Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Sam. 3:10). As long as God is the one doing the stretching, we needn't be afraid of what will happen to us. If we're in good shape spiritually, stretching can feel great.
Lord, help me be a strong, stretchy rubber band, not a sagging, stretched-out pair of pantyhose. Give me the strength and flexibility to stretch whenever you want, in whatever direction and as far as I need to go to serve you.
OctoberIn 1940, Winston Churchill addressed the British House of Commons with the story of the defense of Dunkirk and the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. Toward the end of this dramatic speech, he stated that England would defend itself no matter the cost, fighting on the beaches, on landing grounds, in fields, streets and on the hills. "We shall never surrender," he promised.
Surrender is usually the last thing on the mind of any commander. Rather, he tells the troops to keep fighting, no matter what. Even if captured, a soldier maintains his loyalty and determination not to give up to the enemy.
Most of us are the same. We’re taught from an early age that giving up is not a desirable trait. We should keep going, no matter what the odds, no matter what difficulties come our way. Tenacity and stick-to-itiveness are admirable qualities. But giving up is usually seen as weakness.
When Jesus walked the earth, he did and said many things that seemed opposed to the traditional ways of doing and thinking. Some have even said he turned the world upside down. Consider these sayings of Jesus: To be great, one must first become a servant; the first shall be last and the last shall be first; in order to live, we must first die. He suggested outrageous things such as turning the other cheek, walking an extra mile with someone, giving someone an extra coat and helping a neighbor, even if he or she doesn’t deserve it.
If Jesus turned all of these things upside down, why not surrender? As Christians, we would do well to consider giving up, not as a last resort, but as a beginning strategy. Surrendering ourselves - all of ourselves - is the first and best step toward living in the will of God every day. But if you’re like me, you’ve discovered this is absolutely impossible. I can’t ever seem to completely surrender because a part of me always wants to believe I can do good things on my own, with my own power.
Andrew Murray in his book Absolute Surrender says the first step to surrender is realizing this truth. Surrender is humanly impossible. It is possible with God, but only after we admit our weakness and truly believe we can do nothing without him. God is the one who first wills us to surrender, then gives us the strength through the Holy Spirit to do it (Phil. 2:13).
When we surrender to God, we’re giving up everything that makes up the self: self-will, self-determination, vanity, pride and arrogance. God desires our acknowledgement of his superiority and the lordship of Jesus in our lives. And he’s more than willing to give us whatever it takes to affect total surrender to him.
Instead of fighting to the bitter end, like soldiers who only consider surrender when they’re outnumbered, surrounded or out of ammunition, let’s employ the strategy of Jesus. His battle plan for Christian soldiers calls for absolute surrender to the will of the father before the fighting even begins.
September
As I was packing to catch a shuttle to the airport after a retreat, I happened to switch TV stations from the news to a science fiction program. I’m not really a "clicker", but that morning, the news didn’t seem interesting. I only watched what I later realized was Babylon 5 for about five minutes, but during that short time, I heard the most remarkable statement from one of the characters.
The man said something like this: "I used to think it was terrible that life isn’t fair. But what if life was fair and we got everything we actually deserve?"
What if we got everything we deserve? Maybe that’s why, every year when it came time to examine myself before the Passover, I wondered if I was going to make it into the Kingdom of God. I struggled with the same sins and never seemed to make progress on that overcoming stuff.
Perhaps I knew deep down inside that trying to earn my salvation by obeying laws wasn’t going to keep me from getting everything I deserve.
Now things have changed. Now I can sing the words to the hymn "Blessed Assurance," with confidence.
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of his spirit, washed in his blood."
What happened to change my worries to a solid conviction of salvation? It’s an amazing thing called grace. More than ever I understand how much I don’t deserve anything less than death. But now I also understand that the exchange of Jesus’ life for my life, while I was still in sin, is undeserved. It is a gift, and a gift is undeserved and therefore, unearned.
Learning about the greatest gift in the universe, my undeserved pardon, was like opening the biggest gift box in the world, tied with a ribbon that stretches from New York to California! And what was inside was even more beautiful than the wrapping and ribbon. The years of doubt, the tears of frustration and anxiety, the fears about my future – fell away when my blessed assurance popped out of the box.
The words of Ephesians 2 say it all: "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms – all because we are one with Christ Jesus. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (verses 6-9, NLT)."
The gift of my assured salvation is made even sweeter when I remember what I truly deserve. Thank God life isn’t fair. And thank God that none of us need ever worry about salvation, as long as we’ve opened God’s gift of grace!
AugustA financial corporation advertises that it measures success one customer at a time. A student measures success by good grades. Success for some depends on how big the paycheck. For some it’s how new the car.
Fertility experts measure success by how many babies are produced. But in a news story, a doctor speculated they might have to change the way they thin k of success. Many multiple birth babies are born with physical problems.
How do you measure success? Is it with the same yardstick as your co-workers? They may value promotions, salary raises, big corner offices or their bosses’ loud, visible praise.
Do you use the same yardstick as your neighbors? Perhaps they value the biggest house, the greenest lawn, the neatest garage or the biggest satellite dish.
What constitutes success as a Christian? Is it the longest prayers, the biggest offering, serving on the most church committees or reading the most religious books?
I used to think success as a Christian meant getting my work done before sunset on Friday night, avoiding all work on the Sabbath, never eating anything unclean and getting my obligatory half hour of Bible Study and prayer done every day.
Success as a follower of Jesus is so much more - and so much less. So m uch more because it’s not just keeping laws and avoiding certain things (see th e story of the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-23). So much less because a pe rson can become a follower of Christ by a simple declaration of belief (i.e., th e thief on the cross in Luke 23:42-43).
So what is God’s definition of success? In Zechariah 4:6 the Lord Almighty says, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.’"
Many of us depend on our own resources - our wealth, intelligence and talents - and define success by them, rather than by God’s Spirit within us. God’s values are much different from ours. "This is the one I esteem: h e who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2).
Paul in Romans 14 talks about not judging one another about eating meat offered to idols. In verse 17, he sums up this discussion by saying, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men."
It’s easy to see that "eating and drinking," or the physical things of life, aren’t what really matter. But it may not seem so clear when it comes to the kingdom. Sometimes the physical things associated with religion can take precedence over righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps we, like the fertility specialists, could benefit from taking another look at how we define success in our lives. And let’s remember the only way to measure true success is with God’s yardstick.
July"O that I may find thine altars, my Lord, my King, my God!" For years, I sang this psalm about finding the altars of the Lord, but never took the time to think about what it really meant. Why would I ever want to find his altars?
Then one day I came across the story in 1 Kings 1 about Adonijah. He had tried to take the throne of David from Solomon, an act of treason. When confronted, he rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed the horns of the altar. One of his accomplices, Joab, also grabbed the horns of the altar in 1 Kings 2.
The note in the margin of my Bible says, "Grasping the horns of the altar was a time-honored means of seeking general asylum." Seeking the altar of the Lord saved neither man because they were guilty. But notice that the immediate reaction of both was to seek refuge and mercy at the altar of God. David wrote of the God of refuge many times in the Psalms. "Those who live in the shelter of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting in him" (Psalm 91:1-2, New Living Translation throughout).
Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." Psalm 57:1: "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past." Psalm 62:7: "My salvation and my honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me." People turn to many things in times of trouble: food, sex, TV, drugs, alcohol, shopping. The world tells us to escape. The world says these things will make us feel better. But our refuge is in the Lord and him alone. Chuck Swindoll in his book, Growing Deep in the Christian Life, recommends we have a shelter ready before the winds of trial start to blow. He suggests we prepare a list of at least five shelter verses and have them memorized and ready. When the storm clouds of tribulation gather on the horizon, instead of running to one of the world’s places of refuge, head straight to the one true shelter.
The altars of God are always available to us and as close as a prayer. I find my shelter in the following verses: Matthew 11:28, Proverbs 18:10, Zephaniah 3:17, 2 Chronicles 20:12 and Isaiah 41:10. Here I receive comfort, help, love and encouragement.
If we have no shelter prepared before the storm hits, we could get stuck out in the cold. Let’s make sure our shelter is ready. Grab the horns of the altar of God, who is our "protecting rock of safety, where (we) are always welcome" (Psalm 71:3).
June Have you ever been in a hotel room and tried looking in one of those magnifying mirrors in the bathroom? I have and it’s scary. Every line, pore and spot become clearly visible. I don’t like those mirrors so I always quickly flip them over to get back to my normal reflection.We have a spiritual mirror in the word of God. It’s the magnifying kind too, and it can also be painful and uncomfortable to look in. It shows our flaws without pulling any punches. Jesus held up this spiritual mirror and people often looked away. In Matthew 23, he told the Pharisees what hypocrites they were with their narrow focus on the law. Don’t we often focus on the picky details and forget love is the whole law of God?
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed us we do not love our neighbor if we pass by someone who needs help and close our eyes or ears to his or her need. The parable of the unforgiving servant shows we could be a lot more forgiving. How much grief do we cause others and ourselves by holding grudges or harboring bad feelings?
When the woman anointed Jesus’ feet in Matthew 26, he gently rebuked the disciples for their indignation at the perceived waste. We often judge others for their emotional and spiritual extravagance, especially when it comes to styles of worship.
When I looked into that magnifying mirror, I stared in fascination for a few seconds but then quickly turned it around to the normal mirror. I didn’t want to see what it might show me. Reality might be too harsh. We also do this spiritually. James said a hearer of the word is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, then goes away and immediately forgets what kind of person he was (James 1:23).
It takes faith and courage to really look into God’s word and do what it says. The reality of our sins and faults is harsh.
Sin is ugly. It hurts me and it hurts others. I’d rather think that I’m OK and don’t need to look in the mirror of God’s word to see where I should change. But that’s not what God wants us to do. Rather than hide our heads in the sand of busyness, let’s take time to really look at ourselves. James 1:25 in the Amplified Bible says, "But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the (law) of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer (who obeys), he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)."
Let’s not be afraid to ask God for the courage to help us hold up the magnifying mirror of his word for a good, long look, to ask him for the faith to really see ourselves and then for the gumption to do something about it.
May
We all make excuses. We start when we’re children and some of us never seem to outgrow the tendency.
I can find 101 excuses for not cleaning out my closets, and my kids have just as many for not going to the dentist. The Bible records the story of one of the biggest excuse-makers of all time in Exodus.
When God told Moses about his plan for freeing the Hebrews from captivity, Moses’ first reaction was, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I will be with you (Exodus 3:11).
But that wasn’t good enough for Moses. He came up with every excuse in the book not to go. What if they don’t believe me? I’m not eloquent, I’m slow of speech and ton gue. I can’t do that, I’m not qualified. I don’t have the abilities required for such an important assignment. Send someone else.
I suppose Moses expected God to say, Ok, sorry to bother you. Instead, God became angry. Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses (Exodus 4:14), and he proceeded to explain that Aaron would help him and that God would help them both.
I can really relate to this guy. Over the last five years, I’ve been asked to do a lot of things that I would rather not have done. The usual reason has been fear of the unknown. I was afraid. And the usual reason for my fear was not knowing if I could do this new thing; for example, speak in front of a group; write articles for a worldwide audience; develop a web site; answer questions on a live nationwide radio program.
Every one of these has been new territory for me. And the first step into this new land has been accompanied by various thoughts such as: I can’t do this, why can’t someone else do this, I have something else I need to be doing. I was no longer in my comfort zone and unsure of myself.
God knows we have these doubts and fears, and he understands why we might make excuses instead of jumping right in. But just as God promised to be with Moses, he promises he will be with us. In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus said he will never leave us or forsake us.
You see, it doesn’t matter who we are. It doesn’t matter that we are weak, insecure, unsure of ourselves. It only matters who God is.
He can use anyone, regardless of our background, skills or lack thereof, education or lack of it. He can fill in the gaps and make up for our lacks and strengthen our weaknesses.
God doesn’t choose us for our talents, skills, intelligence, beauty-anything. All he wants from us is our yieldedness. Give him your willing heart and he‘ll take care of the rest.
April
One day last spring, my daughter and I took a walk on
the beach. She got behind me and put her feet in the impressions my feet had left in the
soft sand.
"I want to walk in your footsteps, Mom!"
I kept walking, but her comment made me stop and think.
She was just playing a game, but to me, her words held another meaning. She was saying she
wanted to
be just like me.
Sometimes she stands in front of the bathroom mirror beside me. She combs her hair as I
do, pretends to put on makeup and mimics everything I do. When she does this, it reminds
me I am always being watched and more than that, I am being copied.
Our children watch and learn. Everything we do and say is being stored away for future
use. This is never more clear to us than when our words are repeated, good or bad. When I
was a little girl, my parents lived on a farm. One day the cows got out and my dad was not
happy. He yelled some choice words out the back door at them, and I stood between his
legs, repeating every colorful word at
those cows.
My own son did this once when I was driving. I impatiently said, "Come on,
lady," to a driver in front of me, and I heard a little voice in the back seat say
"Come on, 'Ady!"
There are some lessons to be learned from this. The
first is pretty obvious. Our children are little tape recorders! What an incentive to live
pure, clean
lives in front of them. Not only do our children watch, but so do many others. Our lives
are always on display as Christians, especially to those who wish to
find a reason to criticize our beliefs.
Another lesson is what Jesus told us in Matthew 18:3, that we must become as little children if we want to inherit the kingdom of God. They readily copy people they look up to, whether a good influence or a bad one.
"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ," said Paul in 1Corinthians 11:1. As God's children, we are always watching and imitating our elder brother. We are the little ones who walk in the footsteps of our ultimate example and model for life.
Paul's teachings in Romans 12 and 13 on how to behave as
a Christian are nothing less than the attributes of Jesus. Paul said we should love
without hypocrisy, bless those who persecute us, associate with the humble, live peaceably
with everyone, overcome evil with good - in short, put on Christ
(Romans 13:14).
We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God
and be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Transformed to what? Transformed to be
like Jesus!
How do we renew our minds? As Thomas a Kempis said in his classic book The Imitation
of Christ, "Let all the study of our heart be from now on to have our
meditation fixed wholly on the life of Christ."
March
"Will the real Mrs. Jones please stand up?" Those words from a game show in the '60s always stirred a little excitement in me as I waited for the real person to be revealed. We would listen to three people, two of whom were imposters, tell their story of an unusual occupation, hobby or experience. The host of What's My Line? would ask the question, and the contestants would bob up and down in an effort to confuse us. Then the real Mrs. Jones would reveal herself.
Is the real you standing up? Or are you hiding behind a facade, pretending to be someone you're not? I imagine we all do this to some extent. We're afraid to let people see what we're really like. We think if they did, they wouldn't like us.
Sometimes we wear different hats as we go from the bedroom to the kitchen, to the office and to church. As I'm getting out of bed, I sometimes wear my crab hat. I'm grouchy and my claws are sticking way out. Look out if you get in my way!
In the kitchen, as we're getting ready to go our separate ways, I put on the policeman hat, directing traffic, blowing the whistle on my kids when they dawdle over breakfast, raising my voice when it looks as if we're going to be late.
Then I put on my businesswoman's hat, ready to face a new day of e-mail, phone calls, mail and meetings.
Of course, for church I put on my "Everything's just great, we're all doing fine, picture-perfect family hat. But which of these is the real me? Maybe the one with the book and the bowl of popcorn, curled up in the sweat suit, shutting out the world.
We all have to perform our different functions in this life, and we're very busy. But running through our myriad activities should be the thread of authenticity. There shouldn't be a phony me and a real me.
Authenticity, transparency and genuineness are hallmarks of a Christian. We stand before God with nothing to hide.
David asked God to search him and know his heart (Ps. 139:23-29.) We are completely transparent to God. He knows us inside and out. Proverbs 24:12 says, "He who keeps your soul, does he not know it?"
As we learn to know Jesus better and get more in tune with his heart, we will become more transparent to those around us. The Jesus in me recognizes the Jesus in you and helps us be open, genuine and real with each other.
It's a matter of dropping the pride and the arrogance and becoming like little children. Their openness and transparency are refreshing and sometimes surprising.
It's OK to wear different hats. In this life, we have no choice. Let's just make sure the person under each one of the hats is the real thing. No one should have to ask the real Mrs. Jones to stand up, because there won't be a phony one.
February
Let’s pretend our time on this earth is over. And since we’re pretending, let’s say there’s a big door and we’re standing in line in front of it. The door has the name "God" in big, bold letters. We’re waiting to see him, maybe to be judged, but we’re not exactly sure what’s going to happen when we go through that door.There are three people in front of me, and we’re all getting more and more nervous. Someone’s coming out the door now. As he passes, he whispers, "He just explained grace to me!"
When the next one comes out there’s a sheepish look on his face. "Now I understand what humility really is." The one in front of me stays in a long time and when she comes back, she can barely talk. "So that’s how the trinity works."
Now it’s my turn. I slowly open the door and go in. After a little while, I walk out, shaking my head. He explained that submission thing that gave me so much trouble on earth.
I guess there are some things we just won’t understand until we see him face to face.
The Bible is a book a person could spend a lifetime studying, and some do just that. Someone once said there are two ways to study the Bible. One is to be a scholar, examining every word in the original languages, studying the context and background. The other is to just read it, which most of us do.
In all my years in the church, I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Scripture has to say. And I’m learning new ways to study, new perspectives and greater appreciation for how God reveals himself through his word.
For instance, I’ve learned the best way to read Scripture is like a grandmother. Most of us read like a young mother with two or three toddlers in tow, busy, rushed and trying to get everything done in between diapers, baths and feeding.
But when a grandmother takes her grandchildren for a walk, she doesn’t rush. She moves slowly with the children, looking at everything along the way, stopping to pick up a rock or a leaf, turning it over to see what’s on the other side. They ask questions, wondering why things are the way they are, or what happens when you squash the leaf in your hand. Does it crumble or spring back into shape?
Many things we won’t understand until we meet God face to face. The mysteries of God are too deep for us (Job 42:3). But if we stop rushing through Scripture, and instead read it like a grandmother, we’ll find God continually revealing himself to us, a little at a time.
I’m sure no matter how much we learn in this life, God is saving the best for last, and that’s for real. No pretending.
JanuaryWhen we were little, my sister and I found a caterpillar in the yard. We brought it inside and Mom found a jar for it. We poked holes in the lid and added a stick and some leaves. We watched as the caterpillar attached itself to the twig. Gradually it changed colors and to our amazement formed into an oval-shaped chrysalis. It looked nothing like the long fuzzy creature we originally put in the jar.
We waited – watching and hoping we could be there when the butterfly emerged. But as luck would have it, I went downstairs to fetch something for my mom and missed it! When I came back, a beautiful monarch stood flexing its wings, preparing for a freedom flight.
A caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly is a mystery and a miracle. A long fuzzy worm goes in and a delicate winged insect emerges. We don’t know how it happens, but we do see the evidence of the changes that take place.
It’s not unlike what happens to us when we become Christians. A sinful, hopeless wretch accepts the sacrifice of Jesus as payment for her sins, the Holy Spirit comes to live in her, and a perfect, confident, sinless saint emerges. Well, not exactly. But we do become new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
It’s easy to see the change in the caterpillar. But what about in the life of a Christian? Are there obvious changes? Are the changes we can see evidence of a changed life? Or do we have to look deeper?
In their letters, Peter and Paul often speak of our new life in Christ. 2 Peter 1 tells us we’ve been redeemed from an empty way of life and that we should be prepared for action, not conforming to our past evil desires. 2 Peter 1 says we should work hard at our Christian living. Colossians 3:1 to 17 advises us to seek the things above, putting to death whatever is earthly.
Ephesians 4 and 5 admonish us to stop walking in the futility of our minds, to put off our former behaviors and be renewed in the spirit of our minds. Romans 12 encourages us in our new life in Christ, giving us the marks of the true Christian. 1 Thessalonians 4 shows how our lives can be pleasing to God.
What evidence do you see that you’re not the same as when you first gave your life to God? Can others see a difference?
The change won’t be as dramatic as the caterpillar-to-butterfly transformation. It will take years, even a lifetime. But let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16) and do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:18), and change will take place.
Through the Holy Spirit, we will be transformed, if we don’t let ourselves be conformed to everyone and everything around us (Romans 12:2), but that’s another article.