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he
need for "change" is so important that it seems that the Lord will
not let us move from this subject. You see, Man was born into the image and
likeness of Adam. Because of this, he had the propensity to sin. Since the Lord
knew that this tendency would keep him from being able to be in His company, He
sent a "second man Adam" (Jesus Christ) that we might have the
opportunity to be born in His "image
and likeness." So, we can well see that this change is not an option.
All
men are born as natural human beings. This makes them automatically limited in
what they can know and what they can do. Obviously, then, more
"advanced" help is needed for them to be able to know how to be made
into a "new" man. How, then is this accomplished? Only through
salvation, through which, we are told in scripture, "old things are passed
away and, behold, all things are become as 'new.' "
Why
is it not so readily apparent in the redeemed that they have been made new? Primarily, it is a question of
"security." You see, once we are "grown," we like to
"push the issue" of our "grownness"
and the routines that we have
established and the life that we have hammered out. Of course, once we belong
to the Lord, we are required to change
and live by Someone Else's rules.
Note
that we used the word "required." Like it or not, this is
non-negotiable and the best and only
way to make the "transition" is to count the past life as
"dead"--and bury it!
The
only way to be introduced to change is to be introduced to the truth. One must know that he is in need
of help in order to get it Now, if one is not told the truth, what would ever
make him want to change? What is the truth? That human beings are sub-standard for the
purposes of God. Therefore, if that human being is not willing to become a spiritual being, he
is of no use to the Lord and therefore, will be rejected by Him in the end.
Contrary
to popular opinion, there is no magical way to be able to change on one's
deathbed or after one has closed one's eyes in eternity. Once you die, you are
"sealed," solidly, in your
lifestyle. You have no more opportunity to change. Therefore, the only opportunity that one has to change
is in this life.
So,
what does one do to change? It is very simple, really. He must give things to
the Lord. Only then will he see the Lord's power in his life.
"The
image of His Son" is characterized by so many things. Jesus was always
temperate in His speech and said nothing but by the direction of the Father. This
is what we, too, should make a priority. The sooner that redeemed Man
understands that his life is and is
governed by, the spiritual, the
better. In that his entire life is now spiritual, a good
"rule-of-thumb" is that if one understands something in the
"natural," chances are, it's not spiritual.
There
is absolutely nothing that comes to a child of God without a purpose. God's
point is always to teach us to
recognize and walk in His will. Only by practicing
allowing His will to be preeminent in
our lives will we get used to decreasing
that the Lord and His image might increase.
"Conformity is the order of the day." This is the message that the Lord wants us to understand and is the only way that we will be able to attain the "image" and effect the change that will assure us entry into the presence of the Lord.