June 3, 2020 EMBRACING CHANGE
2 Corinthians 16-18 “but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
I Thessalonians 3:12 “and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
2 Peter 3:18a “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
There is a tendency for us to live on a plateau, or to live on auto-pilot, accepting life as it comes. This plateau I am referring to is primarily a spiritual plateau that includes how we view the world and those around us and our normal response to the things that happen on a daily basis. I suppose that we are drawn to plateau living because it is the way of least resistance and we likely have a basic perception that change is difficult. However, growth and change go hand-in-hand with the being children of God and maturing in the faith. Just to get us started, and just to make a point, let me ask a couple questions. If married, do you love your spouse more than you did a year ago? Do you love those around you more than you once did? Are your responses to situations and other people becoming more Christ-like? These questions are not to condemn us, but intended to cause us to examine and evaluate ourselves to see if there is room for growth-to see if we are being transformed. As discussed in my last blog, we are made up of three parts; spirit, soul and body, and we are responsible for the health of the three parts of our being. Do not misunderstand; God does the transforming, but we are called to work with Him as He works in us; we have a part to play in the process. We can with human effort achieve some change, but to be transformed at our core requires the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. The most important factor in our part in being transformed and experiencing change, is to have a heart that desires to know God. The obvious truth that we must not overlook is that we come to know God through learning from His word with the help of the Holy Spirit. The catalyst for growth and change is knowing our identity as children of God, and walking in that identity; we must know and believe that we are who He says we are. Because we have been made new creations and have been given a new nature, a new spirit, and a new mind, makes it possible for us to live in such a way that is in keeping with our new identity and is pleasing to the Lord. We can express the love of God to those around us; we can be an encouragement to others; we can help and bless, forgive, be tenderhearted, compassionate, and etc. Let us lay aside that part of us that resist change, and that part of us that is not like Christ and let us with joy embrace the change that comes as a result of knowing God-no matter our age or circumstances, and may we be alert to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He is in the process of transforming us.
Romans 12:21 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed