S24P9 – The work of the Spirit: transforming
2 Cor. 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Some of us are creatures of habit. We like life to operate in a regular fashion. We don’t like surprises, and we don’t like change. There is a comfort to knowing that life has been established in a certain manner and that we can rely on our day-to-day living to go certain way. That can also bleed into our personal development. Some people are not necessarily interested in being anything different or anything more than they are today. Some of us feel there is no need to change in any way because we are just fine. The truth of the matter is that our journey of transformation is a continual process. This is not merely a stage of life that lasts for a year or two. As long as we live on this Earth in this order of things, we are to change and grow to be more and more like God. But we are not the ones who cause the change; it is the Holy Spirit that does this for us.
It should not surprise us that our transformation from the moment of justification does not happen overnight. We are born imperfect enemies of God. The goal of sanctification is to make us into the character of God. This process transforms us into the complete opposite of who we were. Where we once loved sin, we now are to love righteousness. Where we once worshiped ourselves, we now are to worship God. Where we once tried to hold on desperately to this shadow of a life, we now are to freely give it to God for his purposes. This is a complete 180. It is a miraculous transformation that can only be accomplished by God himself. The Holy Spirit possesses all the perfect qualities of the Father and the Son, and He builds in us those qualities over time. It is an inward image that is being transformed. The goal is for our hearts and minds to be changed to reflect the heart and mind of God.
If we ever doubt the power of God to bring about a miracle, we only need remember the process of sanctification that is actively working in every believer today. Only a miracle could change me from the man I once was into someone who carries the character of God. And this is happening not just in a handful of individuals but in everyone who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved. Our only responsibility here is to allow the Spirit to change us. We need simply yield to him with a sincere desire to be transformed into the image of God. When are growth stalls in stagnation it is because we have decided to take control and interrupt this necessary process. If we are to continue walking in the Spirit, we must yield to the Spirit’s work in us. Father, make us conscious of the transformative work that your Spirit is doing within us, and give us the wisdom and humility to allow You to take the reins.