Posts Tagged: God using things to shape us

“SHAPING CIRCUMSTANCES VS. CIRCUMSTANCES SHAPING US”

On February 25, 2018 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:28-29, New American Standard Bible, 1995)

My sponsor’s daily calendar thought for the day was, “I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.”  This is very much like what Paul is saying in Romans 8:29-29.

It is important to see what Paul is not saying, as well as what Paul is saying.  Paul is not saying that everything is good, in and of itself.  Paul is certainly not saying that everything feels good.  Good thing!  That would be a bunch of hooey.

What Paul is saying is that God uses all things for the good of those who love God.  But notice that the “good” is defined in the next verse.  And that “good” is to help us to become more like Jesus.

Now, a lot of people like Jesus, but they don’t necessarily want to become like Jesus.  I don’t want that most of the time either.  After all, Jesus was a poor man in a subjugated country, who had to borrow a coin from someone for a sermon illustration.  He suffered greatly during his life, a life which was ended when one of his own closest followers betrayed him to the authorities at the ripe old age of thirty-three.  Jesus was crucified on a roman cross, an execution that was reserved for criminals and runaway slaves.  Who wants to become like that?!

And yet, . . . and yet, . . . I sometimes do want to become like Jesus.  However, there is a process to go through.  I do believe that there are miraculous physical healings, but I am not sure that there are miraculous spiritual transformations.  There may be, but I have my doubts.

Instead, there is a continual process of transformation.  And this process involves God using everything we go through, the good and the bad, the big and the little, to transform us.  I fear that there is no moral and spiritual transformation without the process of moral and spiritual formation.

But, like a good farmer or cook, there is nothing God can’t or won’t use in the process of our formation/transformation.  We may not like all or most or any of these things God uses to make us more like Jesus.  We don’t have to like them, but we do need them.

We addicts are people who pretend that we are in control.  We are not, but we like to pretend.  The antidote to such unhelpful games of pretend (and the antidote tastes very bitter indeed) is to submit to reality.  If you think that’s an easy thing to do, you clearly have never tried.

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