“Do you ever have the sense that God is not done with you?” I asked Stan one morning as we waited for breakfast.
“You mean like there’s still more He wants to do in and through me?” Stan replied.
“Not so much that,” I said. “More like He’s not done with transforming you.”
“Oh, I get it,” Stan replied. “That question falls into the same category as asking me if I have ever taken a breath!”
“In other words,” he continued, “the process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ is one that I think is intended by God to continue until each one of us gets on the train. Thus, I can say without a doubt that He’s not done yet.”
“Even though Paul wrote that we are new creations?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Stan replied. “I agree that we are new creations when we have accepted the finished work of the cross, but I don’t think that means that the transformation process is completed instantly. I think it’s more like we are to be newer and newer creations.”
“How’s that supposed to happen?”
“I think it’s called discipleship,” Stan replied with a smile. “Why else would Jesus have said that we are to take up our cross ‘daily?’ as part of the process of following Him after we have denied ourselves?”
“Daily,” I said. “That sounds kind of like something I should be doing all the time, not just something that’s done once and then forgotten about.”
“That’s right,” Stan replied. “Jesus died once for all. A person’s true acceptance of God’s provision of salvation and redemption is a one-time thing; Don’t need to do it more than once, but transformation is a whole different story.”
“Well,” I replied, “if that’s true, how many times do you think God is going to transform me.”
“Until He’s done,” Stan said. “Just know that He’s not done yet. And don’t think it’s up to you to say when He’s done. He’ll be done when He’s done, and He’ll let you know!”
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Bible verses to consider:
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6.
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18.
Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your provision of life eternally with you through the cross of Christ. Thank you, too, for the gift of transformation you have for me while you keep me on this side of eternity. Please help me to understand how and why you want me to be transformed, as well as the fact that transformation is a life-long process. I confess that too often I do not submit to your transforming power because that is what I choose. Please forgive the foolishness of not wanting to be transformed exactly as you want. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you been transformed in the eternal sense so you know you will spend eternity in God’s presence when it’s time? If no, why have you not accepted God’s free and gracious provision? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, how about being transformed? Do you submit to God’s transforming power so that you are, in fact, being transformed into the image of Christ? If you sense the need for change in any of that, how is such change going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 