The dictionary definition of transformation is: a marked change in form, nature, or appearance. This is what happens when anyone receives Jesus as their Savior. Old things truly are passed away while all things become new (II Corinthians 5:17). Becoming a Christian is far more than forgiveness of sins and a guarantee of eternity in Heaven, although that would be wonderful enough. It is an inward transformation of our mind. That is why Apostle Paul tells us in I Corinthians 2:16 that we have the mind of Christ. What does this mean?
When old things are passed away and we take on having the mind of Christ, we take on attitudes and behavior that Jesus had right here on earth. We see situations and people in a new light. We see hope when life offers despair. We see fear turn into joy. Love begins to permeate our thoughts toward those around us. We see the unlovely person as one whom Jesus loves; therefore, we feel compassion for those who are lost and struggling and who have no hope for a better tomorrow.
When we have the mind of Christ, we do not dwell on sins of yesterday, but upon opportunity to walk in holiness today. We do not seek worldly pleasures that fill our senses with short-lived happiness, but we seek Jesus and long-lived peace and joy. We do not focus on the growing evil in the world, but upon the promise of a new Heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1-5) where sin, nor death, nor sorrow or tears exists any longer.
Our transformed lives today on earth is a training ground to make us ready to see Jesus face to face. When we choose to keep our mind focused on the beauty of God’s Word and upon the power of the Holy Spirit residing within us, Who daily shows us the way to walk and talk and behave, then we are being changed into the image of Jesus, taking on His character. When we change in this manner, then the light of God’s love and joy and peace, is shining for all to see (Matthew 5:16) that other’s, too, may be drawn to be transformed by knowing Jesus. When we walk in our transformation we will surely not be embarrassed or ashamed at how we lived our lives when we finally see Him (I John 2:28).
Let us never waste even one day to walk as kingdom people. Let us ask the Holy Spirit daily to point us in the way to go, to fill us with zealous hope that we may seize opportunities to shine our Light for all to see. Let us seek to offer hope where none exists, to point to Jesus as the only One who gives perfect peace that passes all human understanding (Philippians 4:7).
May blessings overflow upon you today as you live and move in your holy transformation.
Many people take comfort in the beautiful poetry of the book of Psalms. It’s a book in which we see our own humanity with its frailties and failures, while seeing the almightiness of victory and strength in God alone. The verse that comes to mind today is the first part of Psalm 96:1, Sing a new song to the Lord. There are many hymns and praise songs with more being written every day. Is this what the verse is instructing of us? To learn newly written songs? Actually, the meaning goes far deeper. It’s not about a recently developed song, but about an element of us being restored and reinvigorated.
Like David, who wrote most of the Psalms, we find ourselves in perplexing situations. We face anxiety, fear, sorrow, and doubts. Our enemy, Satan, seizes every opportunity to whisper lies that there are no answers, fear is our lot in life, and sorrow and doubt will never go away. These lies can weigh us down, rendering it difficult to even think of a new song, let alone sing one, but this is what we must do. A new song is renewed praise. It is fresh encouragement that comes through praising. It may understandably be asked, Am I to thank God for terrible things that happen in my life, to my loved ones, and in situations around the world?
The above attitude means our focus in on the sorrow itself. It is saturated with fear. Our focus sets our course. As an athlete keeps eyes looking at the goal, so our eyes direct the course on which we run. Paul said, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:14 NLT). When we choose to keep our eyes looking at Jesus as we run our race through life’s journey, then songs of praise, refreshing us, comes to our mind and sings from our heart. Our new songs are heart songs that proclaim praises to Jesus.
Troubles, deep troubles, come to us all. We have a choice: focus on the troubles only, and fear will grow, or focus on Jesus who leads us through the troubles, and joy supersedes all our anxiety. A new song is fresh songs of praise no matter our difficulty. Praise and worry cannot co-exist. One will rule over the other. What governs our mood; be it joy and calm or fear and worry, depends upon our focus. Troubles or Jesus? I hope we each choose Jesus who calms the storm, rather than the storm itself. One has us sinking in despair; while the other has us walking on water.
I remember as a child when my mother would often come to my father with a large jar of dill pickles in hand. “Would you open this?” she would ask. I watched as Dad strained with his attempts to open the jar but the lid wouldn’t budge. He would then pass it over to me and say, “Vickie, you try.” I also strained but just a bit as the lid turned and I proudly pushed the now open jar back to my mother. Do you know, I was nearly fully grown before it dawned on me that Dad was always loosening the lids for me. I asked him about it with a laugh. He smiled and said, “You were always so happy that you could open those jars. It made me happy just watching you.” It’s no different with our Heavenly Father.
There are times in all of our lives when we feel what I call, the holy nudge. We sense the Lord leading us in a certain direction, but we feel scared and unprepared. Perhaps it’s something we have never done before. Maybe an opportunity of service to God in our church or community comes across our path. We feel ill equipped to even try. It could be a character flaw that the Holy Spirit has brought to our attention. We need to give Him our anger issues or our fears but we know we can’t do it. It’s in those moments we must remember — we can’t but He can. You and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).
Is Father leading you to do something today, to tackle an obstacle, to tread upon a path you have never gone down before? Please remember, in Christ you are never alone. He is forever loosening the jar lids of life so you can go forth in victory, having opened them, not in your strength, but in His power which never fails.
When we read the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, His words on the cross have perplexed and brought about discussion for centuries. It has been unclear as to why Jesus declared He felt forsaken by His Father. We know on the night Jesus was arrested, He had been praying diligently, and under such stress about the death He knew He was destined to fulfill, He sweat droplets of blood. This medical condition is called Hematidrosis, which means capillary blood vessels rupture due to extreme physical or emotional stress. Angels were present to minister to Jesus during this time; His greatest hour of need. He made the incredible choice to obey His Father, taking upon Himself the sins of the whole world. For God made Christ, Who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ (II Corinthians 5:21, NLT). We cannot imagine the emotional torment He endured.
Remember, Jesus was 100% God but He was also 100% man. That is why the Scriptures can accurately say of Him, We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15, NIV). It can be argued that Jesus, in His humanness, was experiencing a feeling of abandonment. However, there is another, very plausible reason. It has to do with fulfilling Bible prophecy.
Surrounding the cross were Jesus’ accusers, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, learned religious men of the day who knew the Old Testament Scriptures exceedingly well. They knew the prophecies of the Messiah; they just didn’t believe Jesus was that person. When Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me,” (Psalm 22) He was pointing to prophecy that was being fulfilled right before their watchful eyes. This Psalm, which the religious scholars knew well, goes on to say, My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced My hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at Me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for My clothing. Is this why Jesus shouted out the first verse of the Psalm? Was He pointing to the reality that Psalm 22 was indeed about Him?
Even in His time of agonizing physical death and horrendous, emotional turmoil, was Jesus, in HIs perfect compassion, pointing His accusers to the truth of the cross, that through His death they could live? Jesus is the epitome of love. He is salvation; the only way to eternity in Heaven where death no longer exists and pain is a thing of the past. Jesus was demonstrating His love on the cross. He was declaring to all who would believe that He alone was the only one who could pay the penalty for our sin. He alone is the only way to eternal salvation. Just think, in the midst of the angry jeering of the crowd, Jesus was shouting out the biggest clue that indeed He is the Son of God.
If you have received Jesus as your Savior, may this Easter weekend be a joyful reminder of His love and victory over death. If you have not received Jesus as your Savior, may this Easter weekend open your eyes to His love, and may you receive His magnificent gift of salvation. This gift is only a prayer away. Ask and receive His forgiveness of sin today, and have the most blessed Easter ever.
When I was a child I loved watching Superman and Batman. They won over the bad guys. Nothing could stop their quest for goodness. Bullets could be fired, traps laid, but with their superpowers they beat the evil plans of their foes every single time. While such stories of Superman and Batman are make-believe, you and I have a reality of a super power at work in our lives. We, too, cannot be beaten when our super power is ignited. It’s all to do with our shield of protection.
David wrote in Psalm 5:11-12, But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them, that all who love Your Name may be filled with joy. For You bless the godly, O Lord; You surround them with Your shield of love (NLT). We can read this verse and be easily confused at first. We may ponder that God’s children aren’t always protected. They get sick, they are wounded, they are killed, they are falsely accused, they die of disease. How is any of that being protected? Such thoughts come when we make the mistake of putting our focus on the physical rather than the spiritual.
Jesus Himself said, Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul (Matthew10:28, NLT). You see, of course Christians can and do suffer physical ailments. Some are indeed killed for their faith in Jesus. Others are falsely accused, starved and tortured. Man can hurt man terribly, but is there still a super power at work? Oh, yes, because every child of God has within them the all powerful Holy Spirit. Nothing is impossible for Him.
When our faith and trust could be shattered, the Holy Spirit whispers God’s truths into our minds, soothing us with the truth that Jesus will be our everything to get us through anything. We have the joy of the Lord within us in the most grievous of situations. We have God’s own peace soothing troubled waters in the storms of creeping doubts. We have God’s wisdom and His emotional strength to endure whatever; yes any hardship at all, that comes into our paths. When Satan shoots His fiery darts, we are protected by God’s Word reigning in our minds, and by God’s love for us, which is a shield that nothing can penetrate. This is why David could also write with certainty, When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You (Psalm 56:3, NLT).
When physical pains take hold, look to Jesus, for He will be your comfort. When emotional sorrows cause grief and hurt, look to Jesus, for He will hold you close. Jesus has not left us alone to fight our battles. He has given us the precious and unfailing gift of the Holy Spirit. When we are weak, because of our Father’s shield of love, we are fully protected from all attacks from demonic forces. Nothing is too hard for God; therefore, because of Him and through Him, nothing is too hard for us either. Let us go forward in the joy of the Lord, for it is indeed our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
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