Metamorphous
Matt 4:19 -- "Come,
follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of
men."
His importance is not our destination but instead our
metamorphosis or what we are becoming by following Him.
Salvation is not a one time event when we accept Yeshua/Jesus
into our lives. It is an ongoing process as Paul so well
puts it: Phil 2:12 "Therefore, my dear friends, as you
have always obeyed-- not only in my presence, but now much
more in my absence-- continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling . . ."
We are to be continually changing form the old man to the
new man like a caterpillar changing slowly into a beautiful
butterfly. Col 3:10: "and have put on the new self, which
is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
(NIV)
The first act of God is to change our hearts to a heart of
God. Ezek 11:19 "I will give them an undivided heart and
put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their
heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." (NIV)
The next step is rid us of stinking thinking by the renewing
of our minds. Rom 8:6: "The mind of sinful man is death,
but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace"
(NIV); and Rom 12:2: "Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV)
Then we begin to give of ourselves to God. Rom 12:1:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to
offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God-- this is your spiritual act of worship." (NIV) We
suffer also as we are being disciplined continually to
achieve holiness. Heb 12:10: "Our fathers disciplined us
for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines
us for our good, that we may share in his holiness." (NIV)
Hopefully we can echo Paul's words after his walk by
following the Lord. 2 Tim 4:7: "I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
(NIV)
Our focus should be on what the Lord is making us and not
where we are going both here and afterwards. John 17:26:
"I have made you known to them, and will continue to make
you known in order that the love you have for me may be in
them and that I myself may be in them." (NIV)
Your brother in Messiah, trying to become,
Allan Mann