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.
(2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)
(2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)
"In the progression of
the Christian life, that's the way it is. We are transformed into the likeness
of Jesus by the Spirit of God. Sometimes we fall back into the rut of trying to
change ourselves, and we end up frustrated. We forget that we can't change
ourselves. You see, in the same way we submitted to the Lord in our initial
salvation experience, we must daily submit to God. He will change us, and He
will stretch us. Interestingly enough, we will never get to the point where God
stops stretching us. In this life we'll never come to a place where we
have finally arrived, where we can "retire" as Christians, and just
kick back. The only true retirement plan God has for us is heaven!
We'll never be perfect
until we get to heaven. But that's still our goal. Paul wrote in Philippians
3:10-14:
I want to know Christ
and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death...Not that I have already obtained
all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of
that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself
yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
So then, we must be changed
on a daily basis. It may sound overly simplistic, but continuing change
in the Christian life comes from spending time with God." excerpt from the booklet Spending Time With God, written by Pastor Danny Hodges of Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg in Florida
Can you not pray with me one hour? Jesus was admonishing his disciples who had fallen asleep while He prayed. Can we not read God's word (The Bible) and pray for just 20 minutes a day?
"I'm reminded of
the story of a battleship cruising the Atlantic off the northern coast of Maine
"Signal oncoming vessel," the commander responded, "Change your course ten degrees to the west."
The message was sent, but a light flashed back, "Change your course ten degrees to the east."
The commander barked, "Signal again. ‘Change your course ten degrees to the west. I am an admiral.'"
The light flashed back, "Change your course ten degrees to the east. I'm a seaman third class."
By this time the admiral was incensed as he thundered, "Signal again. ‘Change your course ten degrees to the west. I am a battleship.' "
And the message came back, "Change your course ten degrees to the east. I am a lighthouse!"
Someone once said that a fool is a person who keeps doing the same things, expecting different results. Unless we change our course in life, the results will be the same. God doesn't want us to run aground. He calls to us, "Come on! Change your course!"
Will you make it a priority to spend time with God? I pray He becomes a lighthouse in your life.
In closing, I believe these words I mentioned earlier bear repeating. I came across them years ago in my devotional reading, and they have never left me. Though the source of the quote now eludes me, the truth of its message has impacted and inspired me deeply.
"Fellowship with God
is the privilege of all,
and the unceasing experience
of but a few."
--Author Unknown
I long to be one of the few; I pray you do as well."
excerpt from the booklet Spending Time With God, written by Pastor Danny Hodges of Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg in Florida
