For all who want to end well . . .

Two novels stand out as “never again read this author” books. One ended with the entire leadership of the USA in a boat in the middle of a gigantic oil spill that was on fire. The end. No rescue, no hope. The other ended with the villain getting away with murder, moving to an island with his girlfriend and making money as the owner of a pub. No justice. The end. I hated it. Both had me doing a rewrite in my mind. To me, a satisfying ending is important. I want it to align with what I think God would do.

Ephesus was a prominent city. The church there was well-known and its people enthusiastically followed Christ. They understood the enemy’s tactics and fought for the truth. However as church history shows, they did not end well.

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’” (Revelation 2:1–7)

I’ve been thinking a great deal about my life in terms of obedience to God and ending well. For me, seeing the mistakes and disobedience is easier than focusing on what I did well and how I obeyed the Lord. I find it easier to think that I don’t love Him enough — rather than thinking I’ve been faithful to serve only Him. While the enemy is “the accuser of the brethren” I make no excuses for my thoughts. I’ve been called a ‘perfectionist’ but according to Jesus, that is not a bad thing. After words of exhortation to love my neighbor and my enemies also, He says,

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

As I read these words, the Lord whispers to me: “When is the end?” — and I realize I’m thinking only of this life, but that is not the end. Not only that, perfection is not attainable here. That is the enemy lying to me. Perfection is when I see Jesus face to face:

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)

I am His child now, not a mature grown-up image of Jesus Christ — but a child. When He appears and I see Him as He is (beyond the mere glimpses I’m able to see now), I will be transformed. As these verses say, He IS pure while I am a work in progress.

The church at Ephesus serves as a warning to a church. The individuals that attend that gathering had the same promise that I have: they made mistakes, even left their first love and the church could not continue in that condition, yet God was not finished with the people in it. Even if they kept sliding backward and neglecting to perfectly purify themselves, each one would one day see Jesus face to face and be instantly changed to God’s goal for them. The ending was not the final years of their lives; it is the eternity they are spending with Jesus.

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Lord God, You always hear the cries of my heart. You are also aware of how the enemy tries to sidetrack me with worries and doubts. You always come to my rescue. I am not perfect — yet I no longer live. I have been crucified with You and the life I now live is by faith in You, the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20). The last years of my life may go well or not, but eternity will bring that perfection I long for.

Today’s thankful list . . .

God’s incredible promises.

God’s protection from the enemy’s lies that pull me down.

Hearing from a granddaughter who arrived safely in a foreign country for a new job.

A warm house, after heat records earlier this week and now its cold outside.

Panini sandwiches.

A son who is willing to drop in and help move furniture.

Patience to rip out a mistake and re-sew it.

Metamorphosis

When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, the transformation is from one entity to a totally different creature. Science can see it happening, yet this process is mostly a mystery. How can a crawling critter with many legs become a four-winged, six-legged flying beauty?

This metamorphosis happens in a cocoon over a short period of time, but the process of transformation for a Christian takes a bit longer. Also, the change is not hidden in a pupa or chrysalis but in plain sight for the world to see and marvel. The New Testament describes it like this:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1–2)

The word translated ‘transformed’ is from the same Greek word as metamorphosis — because it describes a process where God changes a person from what they once were to a totally different creature. While the new person is destined to be beautiful, some of us foolishly put up a fight — hence the commands: “Do not conform. . .” and “be transformed.”

Tozer says that Jesus did not come to restore sinners to be like Adam was before sin entered the world. While this is a lofty goal, God’s plan is far more amazing; He sent His Son so that His people could be transformed into His image, not like Adam but far greater and totally different than the lowly creatures we once were.

This has a tremendous effect on my self-esteem. I can easily see the fallen sinner part. I can even imagine myself walking in the garden of Eden with God like Adam did. However, God has an even greater destiny for me; He is shaping me into the image of His Son!

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3)

The promise is sure, yet in these verses I can see that the worm is not passive. God does the work, but the transformation requires cooperation. I’m to put off the old me and while the metaphor is like taking off old and ruined garments, saying NO to sin involves far more than a simple selection of new behavior. To be transformed requires a vital connection to the Holy Spirit. Without a relationship with the Lord, I cannot do this.

Thankfully, He is here to help me. He gives me new life, and the more I know Him, the more I can walk in that life as I “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:10)

Again, He does the transforming. Part of it is renewing my mind by using His Word to transform the way I think. Part of it is using everything else for my good toward that end, that I might be like Jesus: 

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28–30)

These verses describe the salvation process. He plans, calls, gives new life including justification, and then works in me the necessary changes. My part is not to resist it, but yield to Him and let my thinking, words, actions, be changed. As Tozer says, I choose to be transformed to His image, but I cannot create that image by my own morality or struggles to be righteous. I must be created anew in His likeness by His own Spirit and stamped with His resemblance by His heavenly seal impressed directly upon my heart from His hand.

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Jesus, the wonder of moths and butterflies is an example of the wonder of salvation. This reality raises my sense of who I am in Christ, but also encourages me in the process. I’m reminded that those critters must break out of their cocoons without outside help. Otherwise they will not have the strength needed to live their transformed lives. This is the biggest difference between me and a caterpillar — they work hard to come forth, but I do not do this alone; You grant the grace to change. While the struggles I face trying to put off the old and put on the new are important to my spiritual well-being, the power needed to face each day comes from You.

Being transformed to what I already am!

I’m glad that salvation means i am justified. That is, because of Christ, God looks on me ‘just as if’ I had never sinned. That is my standing before Him — not guilty, free from condemnation. However, I’m also glad that even though justified and loved just as I am, His love refuses to leave me that way!

A huge hindrance to the process of spiritual growth is self-condemnation. The voices in my head say, “You are so stupid” or “How can God bother with a sinner like you?” When any person, or the devil (who is called the ‘accusor’) or even my negative outlook begin to accuse me with charges of falling short, I stop trusting the Lord, stop bearing spiritual fruit, and start looking at poor me. With that, I stop growing because I’ve turned from a foundational truth — in Christ I am justified!

Romans 5 begins with a statement of fact about who I am and what God has done in Christ for me:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2)

These and the verses following are clear; I do not have to take accusations seriously, at least those regarding my salvation. It was accomplished by Jesus Christ and does not depend on me, on what I do or don’t do, either in the past, now, or in the future:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly  . . . but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6; 8–11)

Jesus, my substitute, satisfied the law’s requirements and its penalty. Only because of Jesus can God, in perfect consistency with his justice and holiness, declare me forgiven of all sin and justified. Jesus Christ died for all that I could ever be accused of and was raised again for my justification. Because of Him, by faith I have peace with God. By faith, I can rest alone in Jesus Christ.

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” (Romans 8:33)

However, relying on ‘no condemnation’ does not exclude the Holy Spirit from convicting me about my flaws. If I am to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, He needs to expose and remove all that does not look like Jesus. God’s Spirit tells me what needs to change, not that I can change it, but so I can confess it and He will change it!

 

Therefore, when those gentle yet firm accusations come at me, I must acknowledge that He speaks the truth about my selfish, sinful, ungodly thoughts, words, and deeds. When I do, God forgives me and cleanse these from my life.

Certainly discernment is required. Do I know the difference between truth and false guilt. Can I detect Satan’s accusations when he tries to stop me from growing? Do I know the nudgings of the Holy Spirit who is working to transform my life?

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Jesus, I’m so glad that I know Your voice. I’m also grateful that my sins are forgiven and I am justified in the estimation of God and at peace with Him. I’m also joyful that faith in You includes Your work to change me, and let me know what needs changing so I will cooperate with the transformation. Grant me wisdom and grace to always recognize who is doing what — so I can joyfully submit to what You are doing and refuse to accept what Satan tries to do. Thank You for the peace that comes with knowing and trusting You, both in being justified and being transformed.