2024-02-09
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I prayed this morning that the Holy Spirit would give me a way to please Him with what you are reading on this all-important subject. Transformation is, while basic to what He wants to accomplish in us, a demonstration of the unparalleled love He has for us. Some of us need more of His work to become transformed than others-- and yes, I’m one of them. His power to transform is so great that people like Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Jewish Christians working for the Jewish Ruling Council--the Sanhedrin, can be transformed to the apostle Paul—the greatest apostle ever [AC 9: 1-9]. Having taught a two-year class on Romans, my respect for this important book is through the roof! RO 8 is a particular gift from God to us, and yet another demonstration of God’s love. RO 8: 1-2, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit Who gives life has set you free of the law of sin and death.”
RO 8: 28-29, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Here’s where the demonstration of God’s love really is. For what God is saying here is that Jesus was not only the Firstborn of all creation [COL 1: 15b], the One Who did the physical work of creation, but that God wanted more people to be like Him. The problem is that we are saddled with sin, because of the original sin [GN 3: 1-6] but also of sin we ourselves commit. Moreover, the refining process is rarely comfortable or easy for humans.
Now we need to look at why the situation isn’t hopeless. God, the Father, the Decision-maker, has told us in IS 46: 10, “Be still and know I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” In the NIV, the wording of IS 46: 9b-10 helps us to have an understanding of what God is really saying here: “I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is to come. I say My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” The Lord is not being an egotist here; instead, He is reminding us that He has the greater power to do good and loves us enough to want us to allow Him his rightful place as the Potter and for us to allow Him to redeem us from our sin and shape our lives [IS 64: 8]. When we are led by the Spirit and have genuinely professed faith in Jesus Christ, we are redeemed and are dead to sin; we are baptized (symbolically raised from the dead). We are united with Him in His death and resurrection! RO 6: 6, 11, “For we know the old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin is done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin…In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
This is a process that involves yielding leadership of one’s life to God. If my experience is any teacher, that’s hard to do but absolutely necessary. Put more simply: Let go and let God! It will lead us at times to unpopular and/or difficult decisions and actions. All the while, we must know that God never intended that Jesus should be the only righteous person on earth or in heaven. Instead, God wants us to know He loves us enough to have allowed His only Son to suffer, die in a hideous barrage of pain on the cross, and rise again for us. I’ve written previously about my life before Christ and after He entered it. Now is the time for each of us who believe in Him to contemplate what His atoning sacrifice means to us. Please take the time to do this when alone with God, as it is a worthy, valuable use of your time. Remember that nothing you do for God is a waste of time [1 COR 15: 58].
A veil is removed from your heart when anyone turns to the Lord. That veil is whatever puts distance between a person and God. In ancient times when the Tabernacle in the wilderness was used, the veil separated access to God, except for the high priest on the Day of Atonement [Yom Kippur]. No one else was allowed in the Holy of Holies. HE 9: 11-15 tells us Christ (through His blood shed) went through the heavenly veil, opening access to Himself to anyone who was willing to yield leadership of his life to God. In that way, Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant. We who believe in Him will inherit eternal life and share in His glory [COL 3: 3-4].
PRAYER: O Most Holy Lord, You alone possess the power and will to invite us to share in Your Kingdom; You transform us into Christlike human beings. This is no easy job for You or for us, and You love us enough to take the time to do the work of eventually refining, perfecting, and glorifying us. This is so that we can receive the inheritance You have for us. We acknowledge Your loving sacrifice of Your Son so that we can have our sins eternally forgiven, gain eternal life, and be justified. It is a blessing to have Your presence and intervention in our lives. We are not to take this for granted or act self-righteously. You have commanded us first to love You and then to serve You [MT 22: 37-38]. We offer You our love, thanks, and praise for all the love You show us and all the work with us You do—in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to discuss the some of what is in the transformation process that takes place. When a person is baptized, it is only the beginning of a journey of relationship that unfolds gradually between God and the believer in Jesus Christ.
Huge changes take place in small steps. When I was newly baptized, my love for God was very different than it is now. I finally got to the place in my relationship with Him where, like Paul in RO 1: 16, I could truthfully say, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God That brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” How can we deny the goodness of the God Who loves us so much? As much of earthly life progresses, the love I encourage others to have for God gets stronger and stronger. I pray each of you has that kind of connection with God. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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