Transformations
II Corinthians 3:18
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
The essence of this powerful Scripture speaks to the life-changing transformation that takes place in the life of a believer when he or she encounters the presence of the Lord. This is not a one-time event, but rather a continual process of transformation, of growing, of changing, of re-shaping and being re-made – all for the purpose of becoming more and more like the image of God. I don’t know about you but that sounds to me like a fascinating journey!
When people think about transformation, they often picture the mental image of a butterfly going through the process of metamorphosis. What begins as a lowly caterpillar goes through the slow process of changing into a beautiful butterfly. It truly is an amazing change process. But somehow this illustration doesn’t quite fit the kind of transformational lifestyle that God wants us to live. For one thing, the caterpillar goes through this process totally by instinct. Something inside of him compels him to find just the right place, begin the cocooning process, and initiate this change. For us, following out instincts would result in resisting every ounce of change God has in store for us. There is nothing in our nature that drives us toward God’s image. Also, the caterpillar goes through this change process once, and is done. Thankfully, he’ll never again have to enter another cocoon, and become something other than a beautiful butterfly.
Sadly, though too many people have accepted this illustration as an example of a Christian’s life. In doing so I fear that they have failed to realize that our becoming like Christ involves a daily submission of our will to Christ, and that is never easy. It involves a lifelong process of change, and that is most often resisted. It includes becoming more and more like Him, and less like Me.
How wonderful it is to know that God is always at work transforming our lives? I would like to invite those who are part of the Christ Wesleyan family to share their stories of how God is transforming their lives – making them more like Christ – using them to reveal more and more of His glory – showing them how to more like Him. I invite you to post your story of transformation. Send me an email, or write it down on paper. I would like to include your stories as I preach through the next several weeks regarding the topic of “Transformations.”
I am who I am by the grace of God, but through His Spirit, I’m not yet all He wants me to be. That thought alone fills me with great anticipation of discovering God’s plan for my life. Let’s journey together, and discover God’s plan together!
Pastor Jonathan
II Corinthians 3:18
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
The essence of this powerful Scripture speaks to the life-changing transformation that takes place in the life of a believer when he or she encounters the presence of the Lord. This is not a one-time event, but rather a continual process of transformation, of growing, of changing, of re-shaping and being re-made – all for the purpose of becoming more and more like the image of God. I don’t know about you but that sounds to me like a fascinating journey!
When people think about transformation, they often picture the mental image of a butterfly going through the process of metamorphosis. What begins as a lowly caterpillar goes through the slow process of changing into a beautiful butterfly. It truly is an amazing change process. But somehow this illustration doesn’t quite fit the kind of transformational lifestyle that God wants us to live. For one thing, the caterpillar goes through this process totally by instinct. Something inside of him compels him to find just the right place, begin the cocooning process, and initiate this change. For us, following out instincts would result in resisting every ounce of change God has in store for us. There is nothing in our nature that drives us toward God’s image. Also, the caterpillar goes through this change process once, and is done. Thankfully, he’ll never again have to enter another cocoon, and become something other than a beautiful butterfly.
Sadly, though too many people have accepted this illustration as an example of a Christian’s life. In doing so I fear that they have failed to realize that our becoming like Christ involves a daily submission of our will to Christ, and that is never easy. It involves a lifelong process of change, and that is most often resisted. It includes becoming more and more like Him, and less like Me.
How wonderful it is to know that God is always at work transforming our lives? I would like to invite those who are part of the Christ Wesleyan family to share their stories of how God is transforming their lives – making them more like Christ – using them to reveal more and more of His glory – showing them how to more like Him. I invite you to post your story of transformation. Send me an email, or write it down on paper. I would like to include your stories as I preach through the next several weeks regarding the topic of “Transformations.”
I am who I am by the grace of God, but through His Spirit, I’m not yet all He wants me to be. That thought alone fills me with great anticipation of discovering God’s plan for my life. Let’s journey together, and discover God’s plan together!
Pastor Jonathan
