Becoming Like Jesus
God's purpose in saving us from our sins and adopting us into His family is not just to give us eternal life. The Bible says clearly that God's purpose is for us to be conformed to the image of Jesus.(Romans 8:29) He accomplishes this in different ways. I want to give us two analogies to help us understand this process.
One of my preacher friends once used the analogy of a sculptor making a matador out of rock. When he was asked how he could do such a marvelous thing, he said, "I take off everything that doesn't look like a matador." That is what God does in our lives to make us like Jesus. He gradually takes us through trials and other learning experiences until all of the rough edges are taken off, and all that remains are the characteristics of Christ.
Also, the Bible gives us the analogy of the potter.(Jeremiah 18) God can take us and fashion us into whatever He desires. However, if the potter sees that the clay is flawed, He can remove the lump from the wheel and mash it down to start over again. Through this analogy we see how important it is for us to surrender to His work. If we rebel, and He doesn't like what He sees, He can bring us back to the starting point. That is a painful process, but it is how God works.
The main thing is to set our hearts and minds on Jesus and to ask the Spirit to mold us and make us like Jesus. Give the Spirit permission to take off anything that doesn't look like Him. Then, sit back and watch God do a wonderful work in your life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 20-23.
One of my preacher friends once used the analogy of a sculptor making a matador out of rock. When he was asked how he could do such a marvelous thing, he said, "I take off everything that doesn't look like a matador." That is what God does in our lives to make us like Jesus. He gradually takes us through trials and other learning experiences until all of the rough edges are taken off, and all that remains are the characteristics of Christ.
Also, the Bible gives us the analogy of the potter.(Jeremiah 18) God can take us and fashion us into whatever He desires. However, if the potter sees that the clay is flawed, He can remove the lump from the wheel and mash it down to start over again. Through this analogy we see how important it is for us to surrender to His work. If we rebel, and He doesn't like what He sees, He can bring us back to the starting point. That is a painful process, but it is how God works.
The main thing is to set our hearts and minds on Jesus and to ask the Spirit to mold us and make us like Jesus. Give the Spirit permission to take off anything that doesn't look like Him. Then, sit back and watch God do a wonderful work in your life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 20-23.