Articles
Experiencing Transformation
Experiencing Transformation
Borrowed
A primary purpose of the Christian life is to be transformed into the image of the Messiah, Jesus. Romans 8:29 tells us, “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.” (See also Col. 3:9-10). The struggle in experiencing genuine spiritual transformation is that too many of us don’t want to admit that we need transformation. We like what we are. Yet, common sense tells us that we cannot stay the same and be transformed. Walking with Jesus demands we need to be somebody tomorrow that we weren’t today.
Of course, transformation is not an instant process. It takes time, patience, and some deliberate effort on our part to do things that allow God’s Spirit to refashion us to look like Jesus. Consider two practices that can foster this spiritual transformation…
Clean Up a Little Every Day – Someone once said, “It’s easier to clean your house all the time than it is to clean it once a month.” A similar thing could be said about transforming our lives. There are little practices (disciplines) we can implement which will have a cumulative effect over time. For instance, praying a little bit every day keeps the open line of communication open with God, and it teaches us how to speak with him about the things in our lives. By “cleaning up a little each day” also promotes transformation because it…
Prepares Us for Tough Times Now – Sadly, too many times we wait for the big things in life before we start trying to transform ourselves. This is ill-advised and ineffective. We can’t wait for the big things in life to start transforming ourselves, because then it’s too late. For instance, what if the tragic day comes that you lose a child. If I’ve not taught myself how to talk with him about the “little” things in life, I won’t know how to talk to God about the catastrophic event in my life. However, allowing God to transform us through smaller things every day will prepare us to handle those big transformations that are certain to come at some point in life.
Transformation is a must-have of the Christian experience. Without it, our faith is not brought to fruition in the way Jesus intends. We must be humble enough to recognize the need for it (regardless of how “good” we think we are) and be willing to practice the things that enable the Spirit to complete the good work that is being done inside.
