We shall all be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51)
Perhaps you have heard it said that “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” To be sure, change is not easy, and often it is not pleasant, but it certainly is needed!
For the Christ-follower, change began the day Jesus showed up. First, He changed the beating of our hearts. Our hearts had only beat for the self; now they began beating for the Savior. Next, Jesus changed the old nature we had been born with, giving us a new nature by new birth. What we must remember, however, is that the process which began with that new birth will not be completed until we breathe our last. To be sure, in the eyes of God, who only sees us in Christ, we are already perfected. But in our own eyes and the eyes of everyone around us, as the poet said, we have miles to go before we sleep. Many miles!
Because life is both a gift and a trust, we must trust the Almighty Agent of Change to bring to completion what He started in us. And the good news is that He has promised to do exactly that (Philippians 1:6). This process, of course, can be incredibly painful at times. God is at work getting rid of the self and replacing it with our Savior, so He cuts and chisels away at our old nature in the lifelong process of conforming us to the image and likeness of Christ.
The devil will try to convince you that very little will actually change in your life. The enemy will try to get you to focus on your failures and moments of unfaithfulness. Don’t you let him do that! God is not finished with you yet, Christian. Imagine that a sign reading “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” is posted over your head. God is taking every mess you make and turning it into a masterpiece.
Remember, we cannot enter the sinless, spotless Kingdom of God with our present bodies and our present behavior, so God is changing our present state to ready us for His future kingdom, which will be initiated when Jesus returns and we are given new, imperishable bodies. Let that promise empower you to press on throughout God’s lifelong process of perfecting you, one painful step at a time, all the way into glory.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 