The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Nothing More Wonderful"
"We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" declares the Apostle John in his first epistle regarding God's working to conform all who trust the Lord Jesus Christ to His spiritual and moral image (I John 3:2). In fact, "all things work together" for the good of this holy endeavor by our Heavenly Father as He works to "bring many sons unto glory" (Romans 8:28-29; Hebrews 2:10).
God could do nothing more wonderful for us. To make us like the Lord Jesus in character, nature, and way immeasurably glorifies Him as His grace and mercy redeems us from sin unto sonship. As the saying goes, "From dust to glory, what a story!" We exist to glorify and reveal the Lord Jesus as lamps of His light. Such grace constitutes a gift bestowed upon us like no other aspect of God's creation. Indeed, all things exist to honor the Lord. Only of human beings, however, does Scripture declare that Christ dwells within us. Thereby, we possess a singular potential of reflecting and glorifying Him as our humanity increasingly serves as the moon to the bright sun of His glorious likeness. "Christ in you, the hope of glory" declared the Apostle Paul of the expectant aspiration that we can glorify our Lord both now and forevermore (Colossians 1:27).
Consider also the Lord Jesus as the gladdest Person who ever walked the earth because of His devotion to the Father.
"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows" (Hebrews 1:9).
Note the connection: in Christ, love for righteousness and hatred of iniquity bestows the oil of gladness. Note also the implication: the more we become like Him, the more we share in His gladness. Of course, this does not preclude the challenges that come with Christlikeness. "If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). The world, the devil, and the flesh (including our own) do not sit idly by when we grow in likeness to our Lord. Moreover, like Job, our Father often allows our foes' challenges to escort us even further down the path of love for righteousness as trouble leads to increasing transformation unto Christlikeness. "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (II Corinthians 4:10). Amid both blessing and challenge we find the purest joy imaginable as becoming like our Lord leads to His gladness becoming our own. "My soul shall be joyful in the Lord" (Psalm 35:9).
Nothing more wonderful could grace us with the love of God than His purpose to make us like His Son. We will honor Him like no other aspect of His creation, and the surpassing gladness of the Lord Jesus will be ours forevermore when God finishes His conforming work in us. This day includes the execution of such purpose, and amid its blessings, challenges, and moments, let us rejoice that all things work together for the good of "We shall be like Him."
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.'
(II Corinthians 3:18)
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
(Ephesians 2:4-7)
Weekly Memory Verse
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 John 3:2)
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