CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST
Have you ever become frustrated at
the seemingly slow pace of change or progress in your life? In this era
of ‘microwave mentality,’ it is sometimes challenging to wrap our minds around
the fact that GOD WORKS THROUGH PROCESSES. In other words, the changes HE
institutes in our lives are most often implemented over extended periods of
time, through a multitude of life experiences. Bottom-line: We cannot
always trace God’s hand, but we must consistently trust His heart and His plan.
The story is told of an old man who
lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson.
Each morning, Grandpa rose early and sat at the kitchen table reading his
old worn-out Bible. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to
imitate him any way he could. One day the grandson said, “Papa, I try to
read the Bible just like you, but I don’t understand it, and what I do
understand I forget as soon as I close the book. So what good does
reading the Bible do for me?”
The grandfather quietly turned from
putting coal in the stove and said, “Take this coal basket down to the river
and bring back a basket of water.” The boy did just as he was told, even
though all the water leaked out before he could get back home.
The grandfather laughed and said,
“You will have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the
river with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but
again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he
told his grandfather that it was “impossible to carry water in a basket,” and
he went to get a bucket instead. The old man insisted, “I don’t want a
bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You’re
just not trying hard enough,” and he watched from the window as his grandson
attempted to please him again.
But at that point, the boy knew it
was impossible, and he just wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran
as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got very far at all.
The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his
grandfather the basket was once again empty. Out of breath, he wheezed,
“See Papa, I told you that it’s useless!”
“So, you think it is useless?” the
old man queried. “Look down at the basket!” The young lad examined
the basket and for the first time realized that it looked quite different.
Instead of the dirty old coal basket he had first received, the one he
held in his hands was now completely clean.
“Son, that’s what happens when you
read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything right
away, but if you keep on reading, IT WILL SURELY CHANGE YOU…FROM THE INSIDE
OUT.”
That is the work of THE FATHER in our lives. He
changes us from the inside out, gradually transforming us into the image
of HIS SON. (Romans 8:29)
Therefore, we must resist the temptation to become exasperated or frustrated by
the cadence and content of our change. Ultimately, we are in the hands
of THE MASTER POTTER and
we will be fashioned into the finished product that pleases Him and edifies His
Kingdom. (Jeremiah 18:1-6)
The Apostle Paul sums it up
succinctly for us: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but
BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that you may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)
My friends, let THE CHANGE begin…and let THE CHANGER have HIS WAY in THE PROCESS!
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