And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)
If most golfers were honest they would admit to wishing, at some time in the pursuit of their game, that somehow they could just suddenly have a transformed swing. A new swing that would eliminate all the work and frustration. Something that worked every time. If we could just figure out the key that would unlock that door, we would be satisfied.
We will fail and fall and sin and still his grace will be there working in all that happens in our life. As Christians we also struggle to live a life pleasing to the God we serve. It seems that our lives are so inconsistent that sometimes we begin to wonder if we are completely missing the mark. Our life seems more out of control than the violent snap hook we fight on the golf course. Isn’t there some way we could somehow be transformed into the kind of person that wouldn’t miss the mark so often?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes. We who believe in Jesus are sealed with the Holy Spirit in the moment we surrender to him. We are adopted into the family of God and receive God’s grace. That grace is free to us but came at a great cost to God. We can never do anything to be worthy of it. We can’t sustain it or improve upon its power in our life. All we can do is receive it as the only hope we have. God does all the work. He gives us grace and shows us mercy and even gives us the faith to believe. We can only do the one thing that is in our power. We can open our hearts and receive it.
When we receive God’s grace we can approach God with unveiled faces, no longer in fear of being destroyed for our failures. From the first day of our spiritual new birth, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory. The power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us changes us day by day into a clearer reflection of the God we serve. We come to resemble the person God originally created us to be. He loves us so much that he wants us to take on his very nature. He wants us to see the world around us as he sees it and to learn to think like him. He does the work. We allow him to have his way with us. Working together with him we are transformed from an erratic and emotional creature into what God has always dreamed we would be. A true son or daughter who will rule and reign with him for all eternity.
This change doesn’t come overnight and isn’t complete until we are actually in his presence for good. This work in us will be ongoing as long as we live on this earth. We will fail and fall and sin and still his grace will be there working in all that happens in our life. We must never fail to recognize what we have been given—a hope that will sustain us through no effort of our own or any goodness that we possess in our own right. God works to accomplish his will in our life. When we fall, he picks us up and his grace sustains us and we grow more like him. There is no room for despair—what God purposes, he will accomplish.
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Linda Ballard
February 2, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.