The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"Like Him"
God is completely and uncompromisingly devoted to His purpose of conforming born again believers to the spiritual and moral image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:28-29).
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
If ever we wonder about God's whys and wherefores, we can be sure that Christlikeness is always His primary personal purpose. He works to reveal the Lord Jesus in every aspect of our life and being. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:23). We may not always see how His administrations and allowances move toward this wondrous end. We need never question, however, that such grace constitutes our Father's eternal intention. Indeed, the "good" in Romans 8 and the "good work" in Philippians 1 are one and the same, namely, to make us like His Son in thought, attitude, word, and deed.
Our Father could bless us with no more gracious or wonderful gift on our behalf. To be like the Lord Jesus in character, nature, and way promises a joy and peace we can only begin to know in this present life. Consider the truth that the Lord Jesus is "anointed with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows" because "He loved righteousness and hated iniquity" (Hebrews 1:9). The more we become like Him, the more we will experience the same blessedness of heart. Indeed, the writer of Hebrews clearly correlates gladness with love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity. This is true in our Lord, and the same will be known in us as the Holy Spirit progressively conforms us the image of Christ.
God so loves His eternally beloved Son that He desires a host of others like Him. "For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory" (Hebrews 2:10). In eternity, all He did to accomplish this purpose during our earthly lifetime will be recognized as a most gracious gift, be it blessing or difficulty. "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). Presently, God's working toward this holy end often challenges our understanding. Realizing His primary personal purpose - Christlikeness - does not wipe away all tears just now. It does lead and enable us, however, to trust our Father's faithful heart in times when we cannot comprehend the ways of His hand. We will understand such wondrous grace much better by and by, when the gift will be fully revealed, realized, and…
"He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
(I John 3:2)
Weekly Memory Verse
"For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory."
(Hebrews 2:10).
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