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Transformation |
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| BROKEN BREAD AND POURED OUT WINE |
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Christ calls us to follow Him. He doesn't tell
us to come after we've become a better person or after so much
study. Look at the disciples in the New Testament. "Follow
me" resulted in them going right then.
Maybe you are hesitating. You don't feel worthy. We understand. The
only way that you will receive Jesus is to admit that you are
not right, not whole, broken…a sinner.
Jesus will heal you.
How this healing takes place is one of the great paradoxes. We must
first come to the point of complete surrender. We, like Jesus
before us, must become broken bread and poured out wine.
In baptism we are taught that we die to our old selves. We must
first die before we are reborn. When Christ was crucified our
sins were forgiven. Our salvation preceded our repentance! Yet,
to personally receive this salvation, you must first repent
of your sins.
This is a humbling experience. It's a real leveling of our pride.
We must admit to our innermost selves that we have a lot that
is wrong in us. Furthermore, we must recognize that we can't
fix ourselves. Only God can do it and he provided the way through
Jesus. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete
it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
For those of us who have repented, invited Jesus in to our lives
and turned our entire self over to him, it may still seem like
a very long process to become like him. Even though we are saved
when we repent and ask Jesus to be our Lord, we may have a long
way to go before our actions change.
Do Not Be Discouraged
As new Christians we may be full of joy and enthusiasm. This is
wonderful. However, life challenges will continue and your old
habits will probably die hard. Some of us find this to be a
life-long process. It can be like two steps forward, three steps back.
We should not be discouraged, although at times you may be. Many
people become disappointed because they are expecting a security
system. They are hoping that everything will be smooth sailing.
No more troubles. This is misleading. When you turn your life
over to God you should have a sense that ultimately everything
will be ok. Yes, God loves us and will protect and provide.
But we must learn a really hard part--breaking down our ego.
So, it's not a security system, it's a salvation system. And our
salvation is not the result of anything we do to earn it. We
are saved by faith.
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Hard Times Ahead
Christ
tells his followers there will be hard times ahead. Paul and
other apostles learned to rejoice in this. They discovered it
was a great opportunity to test their faith and that persecution
was confirmation of their faith!
If you get persecuted for your beliefs don't take it personal.
Instead, remember that others are persecuted and for the same
reasons. Some people lash out against that which they disagree
with. As Christians, we take a different tack. We love others,
even those who hate us and hurt us. Not an easy calling, but
what a higher way! Who can condemn you for responding with love
when hate and hurt come at you?
This process of denying self and living for others is not easy. True
discipleship means we no longer live for our own desires. We
want to be useful members of the body of Christ. And just who
is the head of this body? Not us! So, we can't be giving the
orders. Our Lord is a loving master. He will come and dwell
with us and in us. He's not cruel and harsh. "My yoke is
light". We are not alone in our new life.
I think the key is finding the balance between being hard on our
selves, but not too hard. A good rule of thumb is to be harder
on yourself than you are on others. We've got to watch out for
playing the victim, though. This is all about growing and becoming
a better person. Pray that God will continually disclose to
you areas that need work and pray for the constant renewal of
his Spirit.
The ongoing problem in the world is that our desires as humans are
typically not in line with what God desires for us. Even when
we think they are good, such as love and kindness, if the motive
is self-driven it is not pure.
What God asks us to do is always in line with spiritual laws. Break
any of them and you suffer the consequences. One of these spiritual
laws is that the more you give the more you get. This refers
not only to financial giving, but also of your time, talents
and, most importantly, your selfless love.
We must be transformed from the old self to a new self. The old
self has us striving to control. The new self surrenders this
control and lives only to do and please the will of God. Our
pride makes this hard for us. We don't like it. It means sacrifice.
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True Love
The reward of living this way is that we find out what true love
is. Remember that Jesus gave us a new commandment. It was much
like the old commandment-the golden rule-but better. We were
told then to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Christ
gives us a higher way. Love one another as he loves us. His
love is pure.
Each day we can be renewed in Christ. He gives us the strength to
face whatever comes our way. No trial or tribulation is too
great with God on our side. And he promises to never leave us.
Facing our difficulties with Jesus in us allows for overcoming
these troubles and demonstrating to others God's power. This
must be why Paul, Peter and James spoke so often of endurance
(,
,
,
,
).
It is natural that we are still going to have fear and be troubled
about life's challenges. Each day that we totally rely on our
Master strengthens us. It's about trust. Many of us have had
to learn how to trust. When we can totally rely on God it will
drive out the fear we have that comes from realizing that self-reliance
won't solve our problems.
Part of the transformation process is that we become givers instead
of takers. Jesus calls us his friends, and he showed us that
as a friend we value others more than ourselves. To appreciate
that we must be broken like the bread Christ broke at the last
supper.
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout
the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for
the offering of goods or services requires the prior written
consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved.
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ROMANS 12:9-13
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"Love must be sincere. Hate
what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another
in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never
be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving
the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful
in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice
hospitality"
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(NIV)
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