Day 18 – Lord, Transform Me
You cannot change anyone.
Ask any husband or wife if they’ve been successful in changing their spouse. . . . It doesn’t work.
They may hope and resolve that their marriage will be different or better than some marriages they’ve seen or known.
They may privately think, My spouse will change. I can do this. I will change them. . . . It doesn’t work.
My first big mistake when Donna and I got married was that I was going to help her organize her kitchen drawers. . . . It didn’t work.
We can modify our behavior, adjust our attitudes, aim to feel differently. Yet only God can truly transform our soul.
Old Testament Samuel told Saul, in becoming the first king of Israel, “‘The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you . . . and you will be changed into a different person.’ . . . As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart” (1 Samuel 10:6, 9).
Unfortunately, Saul later went backwards. Nonetheless, as we diligently seek after God, the New Testament underscores who does the transforming.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
As we spend time in God’s presence, the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ.
Two years ago Donna and I took an El Camino pilgrimage – walking 180 miles from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain, walking an average of 15 miles a day for 12 days.
One day as we were walking seaside in Portugal, I was walking full speed ahead, trying to make good time. Probably 15 full minutes went by and I realized that not once did I stop to look up to see the utterly stunning Atlantic Ocean and beautiful sky just to my left!
I was not “contemplating the Lord’s glory”! I missed beholding God’s majestic creation!
We need to behold God: Worship his majesty. Spend time in fellowship with him. Encounter God’s manifest presence. Know God, see God, listen to his still, small voice speaking to us. Enjoy God with other Christ followers. Then we will be transformed.
Like a house renovation, we need a complete make over. Rebuilt from the foundation up. Reconstructed from the rafters down. Remade in every room within. Recreated into something brand new. “Lord, transform me!”
Prayer: “Holy Spirt, work through my inconsistencies, failures, offensive ways, sins transforming me into the Christ follower you want me to be.”
~ Pastor Dave
