On a mission…

“My, how you have grown!” As kids, remember hearing that at funerals and family reunions? Well, most of you may have heard it, not so much me…I have been short all of my life. What was mostly said to me was, “Wow, you look just like your mom” or “how old are you now, twelve?”. I would respond, “No, I married and have three kids”. Hello, don’t you see my life has changed?

Physical changes are a bit easier to see than transformations of the heart. It seems Paul’s reputation as a killer of Christians followed him all of his ministry. We read his letters to churches that open with an explanation story of his transformation. “I was a life that has been changed from the inside out by Jesus Christ”, he declares often. I wonder if we “church people” are so dull to not recognize the transformation process in each other as much as we should. “My, how you’ve grown…from the inside out!” might be a more appropriate response to encourage others. Mm. Another encouragement could be, “I see Jesus in you when…”

See what you can think of as a way to encourage someone else who God is transforming right before your eyes today as we read God’s story in Paul to the churches.

Galatians 1, The Message

10-12 Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or curry favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ.

13-16 I’m sure that you’ve heard the story of my earlier life when I lived in the Jewish way. In those days I went all out in persecuting God’s church. I was systematically destroying it. I was so enthusiastic about the traditions of my ancestors that I advanced head and shoulders above my peers in my career. Even then God had designs on me. Why, when I was still in my mother’s womb he chose and called me out of sheer generosity! Now he has intervened and revealed his Son to me so that I might joyfully tell non-Jews about him.

We are stopping here to evaluate our own progress as transformed lives. What do we learn?
–God has designs on us from the womb. “He knew us before we were formed”. (Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1:5)
–Our transformation is God’s story in us, running freely through us to mold and shape us into what he intended for us to be and do from the beginning of time.
–Allow and recognize transformation power of God in others. Be encouragers of this change. NOTICE…and praise God!
–Reveal Jesus to others because of the transformation He did for us!

Dear Heavenly Father, I am a life that was changed…transforming daily into what You intended from the beginning. Thank you for never stopping Your work in me. Help me to recognize Your transformation of others and encourage them, too! Thank you for not leaving as we were but transforming us into what You created us to be. Hallelujah!
In Jesus Name, Amen