All in Transformation
Are we working in unison with the Holy Spirit within us as he washes, transforms, and renews us, or do our human frailties cling to the sins of the old man, and slow to a crawl, or stop, our regeneration? Are we cheerful learners, or do we reluctantly bend to the will of God as His Spirit scrubs us clean?
How valuable do we consider Jesus Christ to be in our lives? Do we pay Him homage by worshiping Him publicly before men of faith, but retreat from Him when the crucifixion crowd gathers? Do we fall back into the old ways that once defined us both outwardly, and inwardly? In short... we may have given Him our words, but have we yielded our hearts to Him?
Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and know God as our Lord, then we begin a transformation into a different person, but as we change we realize that who we once were is never who we were intended to be. As we lose our old self, we strip away the facade, and reveal who God knew us to be all along. The new self we are becoming is God’s perfect creation.
When we have come to love Jesus the last thing we should want to do is be separated from others of like mind. When we love our Lord, and come to behave as he does, then we must put on our old clothes, and hide our faces if we are to blend in once again with those we used to associate with. Do you desire to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ, or do you simply love Jesus on some occasions, and retreat to your old life at other times?
Is your faith consuming you like a living fire? Is the old person who first heard the call of the spirit still the same one you are today, or is the corruption of sin, that was once a part of you, being burned away so that you are transformed into the pure image of the Lord? Perhaps your transformation is such that you don’t recognize it as occurring until one day you see your reflection and are amazed at who you have become.
How complete must the destruction of our sins be when we accept Jesus as our savior, and God as our One True God? Do we throw down most of them but allow a few to linger on in our lives? When we step back from the work of faith in us do we still see some stones standing one atop another? Are there remnants of our past life there? Until we have completely torn down the sinful stones of our old life we can’t be rebuilt.
How great is our love for Jesus? Is it so great that the mere mention of His name cause a feeling of love and sanctification to rise up within us? The various names of Jesus should bring us joy and cause our spirits to leap within us, but this is not true until our faith in Him is complete, and He has saved us from sin. Jesus redeems us, and in so doing He changes not only what we do outwardly, but who we are inside... our very character.
Do you really live your life for God? Do you order your day to please Him, and follow Jesus with everything that is within you? Or, do you live your life from one repentance to the next asking for forgiveness of sins that you deem to be acceptable and unavoidable wounds that you receive each day as you live life in the world? A price was paid for you, and it wasn’t done so that you could almost accept the transaction; so that you would remain the property of the world.