JANUARY 1

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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Psalm 91:1

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

2Corinthians 1:20

“For all the promises of God in Him are yeah, and in Him Amen, unto

the Glory of God by us”

Philippians 2:13

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Romans 8:29

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

John 8:44

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Romans 12:2

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

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This month we’re reading  the new devotional   “Becoming New”,  written by  Warren W. Wiersbe and compiled by his grandson.  Pastor Wiersbe was the President of Moody Bible Institute before the current President, Erwin Lutzer.  

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METAMORPHOSIS; HOW GOD CHANGES US

Read romans 11:33-12:2 and 1John 1:5-10

My first encounter with the word “metamorphosis” took place in Miss Gardner’s fifth-grade class.  She explained how caterpillars wrapped themselves in silk cocoons of the own weaving, waited for the right time, and came out as butterflies, and that this exciting process was called “metamorphosis.”  Why she used such a complicated word to explain “change” was a mystery to me until I encountered the word again in my first year seminary Greek class, ten years later.

It is used four times in the New Testament:  twice it describes our Lord’s transfiguration, and twice it refers to the changes Christians experience as they mature in their spiritual life.  Our Greek instructor explained that the word means “a permanent change on the outside that comes from the inside.” And that was the definition I needed.  All that the caterpillar needed to become a butterfly was already inside.

But we also learned that there is a Greek word that describes a “Temporary” change that doesn’t come from the inside.  Our English equivalent would be “masquerade.”  If I put on a mask and a policeman’s uniform and started writing tickets, I would be pretending and would probably be arrested for impersonating an officer.  Satan’s specialty is encouraging people to imitate the Christian life and not experience the “real thing.” Satan himself even masquerades as an angel of light.  True Christians can experience change on the outside because they have the Holy Spirit within, who can bring out this miracle and make them more like Jesus.

Among other things, the Bible is a record of the constant conflict in this world between illusion and reality,, imitation on the outside and transformation from the inside.  Satan is not a creator, he is a counterfeiter offering people cheap imitations of the precious realities we have in  Christ.  Transformation is based on God’s truth; imitation is based on Satan’s lies.  In 1 John 1:5-10 we are warned not to lie to others, to ourselves, or to God.

The Scottish  poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott wrote, “O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” Believing Satan’s lies will make us prisoners of illusion, but living by God’s truth will make us free and keep us free.

It is this wonderful day-by-day, step-by-step transformation experience that is the theme of this book.  Our lives can be divine miracles or cheap imitations.  The word translated “hypocrite” in the New Testament means “playactor, one who masquerades.”  We can choose to surrender to Jesus and enjoy reality or follow Satan and live in illusion.  If we lie to others and to ourselves and if we try to lie to God, one day the truth will come out and the masquerade will be over.

As we walk with the Lord through His Word, we must allow the truth to do its work in our hearts.  God is in the business of taking counterfeits and converting them into the real thing.  He will do this in you too if you offer yourself – mind, body, and will – to God.

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