Month: December 2023

Transformation for a Purpose

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2 K JV

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:1-2, The Message

The Lord was speaking to me about these verses as I was spending time with Him with my journal open earlier today, especially as it relates to the process of salvation if one recognizes the conceptual division of body, soul, and spirit. A blogging friend recently mentioned to me some thoughts she was developing along these lines. She put forth the notion that we are 100% saved, our whole being; body soul and spirit. I believe this is true. But, I would assert that it is true only in the ultimate sense because of the perfect faithfulness of God. I believe in the short term this process is more nuanced.

An earlier journal that I shared, Body, Heart, Soul and Spirit, might be useful in laying some background for what I am saying here. It has been a while since that post went live. In that writing, I highlighted the idea of our born-again spirits being “sealed” by the Holy Spirit in a protected state. I sincerely believe this is immediate at our acceptance of Christ as Savior, and irrevocable, except potentially by our own intention. (I cannot see God holding the unwilling convert hostage to his own profession of faith.) Even so, this brings to mind a passage that, it seems to me, is one of the most awesome reassurances in the Scripture.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31-39

If we consider the opening passage from Romans 12 followed these observations of Paul in Romans 8, I think we can say some strong things about the process of salvation of soul and body, once the spirit is redeemed. One thing we can observe is that our mind, will, and emotions (soul) are not immediately replaced at salvation. Romans 12:2 told us the mind had to be transformed and brought into subjection to the will of God. This involves some time and diligent work (2 Timothy 2:15). Most of us on this journey, on some honest introspection, can point to many wrong ideas that the Spirit, using the word of God, has faithfully relieved us of. In effect, we are participating in that process of “proving” or testing that the will of God is good and perfect by our life experience. We hope others will observe this positive change in us and want to know how to come along on the same trip.

A second observation is that Romans 12:1 talks about our bodies being presented as a living sacrifice. It seems to me that the Message translation has a lot to offer about recognizing that it is important what we do with our bodies. We are obviously commissioned to be ambassadors for Jesus while we are walking around (Matthew 28:16-20). We are better able to carry out that calling if we are behaving as good stewards of the bodies we have been given.

Further, Romans 8 has made it glaringly clear that these bodies are in peril of many kinds of danger and damage. I accept that these dangers are real, but I am in no wise fatalistic about them. David was in danger before Goliath, but he emerged victorious by the power of God. Nonetheless, we have just seen that even death cannot separate the believer from His love.

Never forget, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). We are called to continue in His leading. For sure in our own lives, and upholding our brothers and sisters in the battle also. We are commanded to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). No armor would be necessary if we were completely immune from the devil’s attacks.

A final thought. What of the one who dies soon after salvation? Would that person be stuck in an untransformed state of mind? I don’t think so. In 1 John 3:2 we find this:

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I think the Spirit’s transforming work in our lives mostly serves the purpose of fitting us for the calling we have to carry out our commissioned work. It is not for the faint of heart. Walking around spiritually unprotected and unarmed by knowledge of the word of God (our sword, our one offensive weapon) is unwise.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1 Peter 5:8

Signs

The star appeared, bright celestial guide;
Magi traversed, priests of Persia, Median kings.
Angel appears Angel of the Lord;
Glorious multitude from heaven sings.
Shepherds fall down, cower in fear.
Peace, goodwill, God’s message rings.
Let us go and see, what we have heard;
Into Bethlehem, do they leave the sheep?
This is like nothing we have ever known;
Do the angels stay, their herds to keep?
Keep wolves at bay, with lambs lie down?
Under clear black sky, starry deep.
Just as the voice of the Lord had said;
The shepherds found as they’d been told.
Babe in a trough of rough-hewn wood;
But swaddled tight against the cold.
Our Savior appeared in humble state;
Through the plan of God was made of old.

Merry Christmas friends! Take a cue from the Magi and the shepherds. Search for Him and He will be found by you. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Wind and Fire

“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock;and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Matthew 7:24-27

I was a little behind and I am grateful for a good night’s rest!

Me: Good afternoon, Father!

Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: I read a blog post from Nicola in the UK this morning that contained a prophecy of a mighty wind of Your holiness coming, that it would blow also against every house that has Your name associated with it. With that, You caused me to think of the passage above in Matthew seven.

Abba: Here is another passage on purging:

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13

There is a picture of surviving this fire in Daniel, chapter three. Here is another passage from Jesus about purging:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

John 15: 1-14

I Am holy. I made you to be holy, as I Am holy. (Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:26; 1 Peter 1:15-16) My purging work in the lives of My children is an expression of My deep love. My pruning results in bearing the fruit of righteousness: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These traits are the expression of My rock-solid nature in you. If you permit My Spirit to do this work, you will be transformed as Jesus, the exact representation of My nature.

Standing on the Rock, here is a description of the needed change:

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

2 Corinthians 5:1-4

Jesus spoke of this move from earthly tent to spiritual house in this way:

 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

John 14:2-4

Clothed in My righteousness, standing upon the Rock of My Son, you will fear neither wind nor fire when they come, as they surely will.

Farm Sunrise

Book: Journey Through the Dark Night

Israel and Jennifer Arimborgo serve as missionary pastors in Peru (https://www.arimborgo.org). In her latest book, Journey Through the Dark Night, Jennifer relates what it was like walking a healing journey with one of her young daughters. To any who were aware of this dire situation and were praying with the Arimborgo family at the time, Jennifer’s excellently written book will take you with her at the heart level as she relates the power and goodness of God in that crisis. If you are still drawing breath, I doubt you will maintain a dry eye throughout.

The book, though, will do more than simply relate the tale. You will learn what deep heart-to-heart conversation with God looks like from one who truly knows His heart. You will experience the nature of in-the-trenches spiritual warfare and begin to understand the power of unswerving faith in Jesus our Redeemer in those battles, even while dealing with our own human doubts. All of us can glean deeper conviction from Jennifer that sight into the spiritual realm will reveal critical truths obscured in the natural world. You will, no doubt, find your own heart rising on wings of encouragement and joy in our Creator.

How could I recommend her book strongly enough to do it justice? Find out for yourself. Follow the link in the first line, above.

Follow Jennifer’s mighty blog on WordPress: https://feedingonjesus.com. You won’t be disappointed in that either.

This picture of the back cover is my own well-thumbed copy. Yours will arrive in better condition.