Good morning, dear friends! Praise the Lord for this beautiful day, God gives to us! Thanks God for another opportunity to fill ourselves with His living word!God knows that unless we conform with the likeness of Christ, we were initially created, we won´t get rid of the burden, put on us by the system of this fallen world. Unless we conform with the likeness of Christ, we will never find rest for our souls. The life of Jesus was described to us so that we learn from Him to take His yoke and His burden.
«Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light». (Matthew 11:28-30).
According to the Bible, God´s highest goal for us is make us in likeness of Christ. He wants us to be like Jesus. Though, it doesn´t happen in at blink of an eye, it´s rather a process that develops as we allow the God´s word and other God´s means on to influence us. Spending your time with Jesus by reading the word of God and praying, fellowship with other christians, decently overcoming difficulties and pain – all these things help you to transform more and more, just as it happened to Jesus disciples. «Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus.». (Acts 4:13).
Spending time with Jesus had influence on the life of the disciples. They changed becoming more and more like their Teacher. Also people next to them could notice those changes. The disciples talked like Jesus, replied the way Jesus did, they had power of Jesus, responded to situations the same way as Jesus, they didn´t fear for their lives just like nobody could scare Jesus with death.Who of you desires to reach out the same level? That´s what God calls you to do. He is willing to transform us to the likeness of Jesus in everything. Let´s read what the first letter to Corinthians tell us: «For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble» (1st Corinthians 1:26).
“See your calling, brothers …”
What is stressed in this verse? God wants us to realise that He doesn´t pay attention to who we were in the past when He calls us. He doesn´t care where we have been before, how we lived or what we have done. All these things do not change His attitude to us. God loves and values us as we are today. He calls us regardless of our condition. Meanwhile, He wants to change us to conform with God´s standards. He opposes the idea of continuing our life the same way we have lived until the day He found us. He would not be happy if we remained where we are today, but desires to lift us up to higher and more decent level of life and the level of relationships.As it´s written: “not many are wise according to the flesh”. In case you were not wise before you met Jesus, so you always advertise your foolishness or even think you are a fool, then you have to know that God, when He calls you , desires to make you wise. Te Bible says that Jesus had been made to us wisdom from God. «But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption». (1st Corinthians 1:30).
Whoever you used to be before you met Jesus in your life – weak, ungrateful, foolish, invaluable, weary – all that doesn´t mater to God. God desires to change and transform you completely. God bless each of you abundantly!Rufus Adjiboje, pastor
