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Psalm One Update August 2006 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit. (2 Cor 3:17-18 Amplified) In Romans 12:2, "Be transformed by the renewing of your minds," the word translated transformed is metamorphoo, from which we get metamorphosis. Paul uses a form of the word in Galatians 4:19, "Until Christ is formed in you". The transformation God desires for us is a process of “morphing” into Christlikeness. But we must constantly ask ourselves: do we really want to be transformed? Do I want to morph? For some of us, the answer is no. We want God to be our “fire insurance”, but we’d rather He stayed out of our day to day affairs. God, you go your way, I’ll go mine. I’ll call you if I need you, but otherwise, please mind your own business. Or, we may think He lives a million miles and a million years away. He has no involvement—and wants none--with our real lives. For some of us, the answer is maybe… We are content with our “good enough” Christianity. We are a little bit involved at church. We have enough of God to make us feel loved and secure. We lay out our plans, in our way, in our timing, but we do pray and ask Him to “rubber stamp” them. As God remodels our lives, we are happy with Him rearranging the furniture or even possibly wallpapering the dining room. But what if He decides to use a wrecking ball instead of a dusting cloth to transform me? Will I still trust Him? The reason “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God” in Romans 8:28 is not so I can be a happy camper. The reason is in Romans 8:29: “to become conformed to the image of His Son”. And I can’t speak for you, but I for one still need a LOT of transformation before I am conformed to the image of Jesus! Do I really want to become like Him? For some of us, the answer is yes. We have been broken on the wheels of life and we know only God can heal us. We have tried man’s wisdom and seen it unable to provide answers. We have tried religion, and found too much arrogance, comparison, competition, judgment and image management and very little real core change. What does it take to be transformed? Giving up control. Ah, there’s the rub. God doesn’t usually consult with me before He acts. And often, I don’t like how He does things. Will I surrender my own brilliant ideas and grand plans to “the only wise God” (Romans 16:27)? Seeking Him. Proverbs 2 says if you will
…Then you will discern the fear of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God. There’s nothing passive here. Sounds like a lot of hard work. How much time and effort am I willing to put into seeking Him, working hard to “see Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27)? Waiting on Him. God sometimes completely ignores my carefully scheduled timetable for the universe. He seems to work according to His own appointment book instead of mine. And there are some tasks I think He should hop on immediately. Instead, there are some prayers which go unanswered for days or decades or a lifetime. Will I choose to believe that the Lord knows all from beginning to end, and that the waiting for God involves my winding my life around His so that I can be obedient in the moment and life in light of eternity? Trusting His character. Bottom line, this is what it boils down to. Do I know Him well enough to trust His face when I cannot see His hand? Do I truly believe that He is loving, wise, powerful, gentle, kind, just, merciful and almighty—always, consistently, eternally? Will I cling to the truth of His character no matter what circumstances tell me? Everything we do in Psalm One Ministries is to intentionally seek transformation into the image of Christ. I say with Paul “I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you”—and me. (Gal 4:19) I treasure the Days of Refreshing, where people gather to draw nearer and go deeper in their walk with Jesus. For example, at the last Day of Refreshing we studied “How to Discern the Voice of God”. How can I follow God unless I can clearly hear His voice out of so many which whisper to me? We want the magic wand. We want a quick pill. We want the Easy Button. But instead God calls us to “a long obedience in the same direction”, as Eugene Peterson describes it. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Even on those days when my honest prayer is “I believe, help me in my unbelief”, I know the Lord is in His temple and He is sovereign. To walk intimately with the Creator of the Universe makes every other experience pale. And to experience the supernatural love, joy and peace which transcend trials and pain… To experience true freedom as a child of the King… Transformation is a miracle, a privilege, a glimpse of glory! We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. (2 Cor 3:17-18 The Message) In the process, Linda |