Today's quote holds a revealing truth. What we get in life matters little. Do you desire money? Big homes? Expensive cars? High-paying jobs? Fame? Power? I'll let you in on a little secret: all these things will disappear. They have no eternal value. When we die, we can take none of it with us.What does Tony Robbins say? It's who we become and what we contribute that has everlasting value. That is what gives meaning to our lives here on earth and what determines our life hereafter.
Becoming is a continual process. We do not just suddenly 'become' something except for the time we ask Jesus into our lives and we become sons and daughters of the living God, members of His family. From then on we go through a lifetime process of becoming more like Jesus. At least, I hope that is your goal and the thing you strive after.
The Lord is looking, not for the strong, the wise, the mighty, though He will accept them when they come humbly to Him, but He seeks those willing to surrender their lives completely to Him. Then and only then can we truly become like Jesus. Then and only then can we truly walk in our destiny.
So, how do we become what we need to become that we already are? I know, that sounds like a riddle. But this is no trick question. The Bible mentions many things that we are to become: holy, pure, loving, cheerful givers, the list goes on. But it also tells us that we already are some of these things. How can this be? We are more than conquerors according to Romans 8:37. Yet how many times do we fail to conquer the demons in our lives? We continue to live under the control of the 'old man', our old nature. According to Ephesians 2:6 God has raised us up and made us sit together with Christ Jesus in heavenly places. Do you see yourselves seated there? Do you act as if you are living in the throne room of God? Probably not if you are like most of us. I could add many other scriptures, but these will suffice to explain what I mean when I say we must become what we already are.
The Lord has predestined us to certain kingdom principles, but we still must go through the process of application to our lives, of refinement in His crucible, before they are noticeable in our lives. We must learn; we must yield. We must allow the Lord to work out and to work in so we can be the people He intends for us to be. What do I mean by work out? I mean the old nature must come out, must go, before the Lord can work in us the very nature of Jesus. But of course this has to happen gradually.
Can you imagine how you would feel if one day the Lord said to you, "Let's sit down together. I've got something important to tell you. In fact, there are a lot of things I need to show you. All the things that are wrong in your life. Right from the day you were born until this very second. Everything, mind you. I don't plan on leaving one iota out. You need to know this so you can get rid of it and take on the nature of Jesus. Now, where shall I start..." Would you not be devastated before He had talked for even five minutes? You would simply give up long before He finished because you would feel entirely devoid of any hope of improvement, of victory. But this is not the way our loving Jesus deals with us. He tells us a little at a time then gives us the equipment to deal with each thing He reveals to us. He gives us power to overcome. He has given the victory, but we need to walk in that victory. He has given us a place in the throne room, but we must be trained in order to be able to live at that level. Every prince and princess goes through years of training, of molding and shaping so they can function appropriately. They are born royalty, not made so, but they are not left to their own devices but brought up strictly to follow protocol so that when they become king or queen they know how to be a king or queen.
One way to become is to give, to contribute to others. Give what? Give of ourselves, first and foremost to the Lord, then to others. Give love. Give time. Give Jesus to the world by living according to His desires, His mandate for our lives. We as Christians have a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and truth to impart to the world. We have the love of God in our hearts to spread abroad wherever we go. Prayer is one of the most powerful gifts we can bestow on anyone. So when we begin to be givers rather than takers we begin to become like Jesus.
Take heart. Jesus loves you and will not leave you to your own devices. He is all-powerful, and perfectly willing to share His power with us. He knows all, and is willing to share His knowledge with us. All we need do is yield, surrender our lives daily into His capable hands. This is a place of protection. A place of refuge. A place of learning. A place of becoming. Let's give Him "our bodies, a living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1) and offer Him everything that is part of our lives, then allow Him to make us in the image of Jesus. This is the way to true healthy living. This is the way to destiny. This is the way to heaven.
So, how do we become what we need to become that we already are? I know, that sounds like a riddle. But this is no trick question. The Bible mentions many things that we are to become: holy, pure, loving, cheerful givers, the list goes on. But it also tells us that we already are some of these things. How can this be? We are more than conquerors according to Romans 8:37. Yet how many times do we fail to conquer the demons in our lives? We continue to live under the control of the 'old man', our old nature. According to Ephesians 2:6 God has raised us up and made us sit together with Christ Jesus in heavenly places. Do you see yourselves seated there? Do you act as if you are living in the throne room of God? Probably not if you are like most of us. I could add many other scriptures, but these will suffice to explain what I mean when I say we must become what we already are.
The Lord has predestined us to certain kingdom principles, but we still must go through the process of application to our lives, of refinement in His crucible, before they are noticeable in our lives. We must learn; we must yield. We must allow the Lord to work out and to work in so we can be the people He intends for us to be. What do I mean by work out? I mean the old nature must come out, must go, before the Lord can work in us the very nature of Jesus. But of course this has to happen gradually.
Can you imagine how you would feel if one day the Lord said to you, "Let's sit down together. I've got something important to tell you. In fact, there are a lot of things I need to show you. All the things that are wrong in your life. Right from the day you were born until this very second. Everything, mind you. I don't plan on leaving one iota out. You need to know this so you can get rid of it and take on the nature of Jesus. Now, where shall I start..." Would you not be devastated before He had talked for even five minutes? You would simply give up long before He finished because you would feel entirely devoid of any hope of improvement, of victory. But this is not the way our loving Jesus deals with us. He tells us a little at a time then gives us the equipment to deal with each thing He reveals to us. He gives us power to overcome. He has given the victory, but we need to walk in that victory. He has given us a place in the throne room, but we must be trained in order to be able to live at that level. Every prince and princess goes through years of training, of molding and shaping so they can function appropriately. They are born royalty, not made so, but they are not left to their own devices but brought up strictly to follow protocol so that when they become king or queen they know how to be a king or queen.
One way to become is to give, to contribute to others. Give what? Give of ourselves, first and foremost to the Lord, then to others. Give love. Give time. Give Jesus to the world by living according to His desires, His mandate for our lives. We as Christians have a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and truth to impart to the world. We have the love of God in our hearts to spread abroad wherever we go. Prayer is one of the most powerful gifts we can bestow on anyone. So when we begin to be givers rather than takers we begin to become like Jesus.
Take heart. Jesus loves you and will not leave you to your own devices. He is all-powerful, and perfectly willing to share His power with us. He knows all, and is willing to share His knowledge with us. All we need do is yield, surrender our lives daily into His capable hands. This is a place of protection. A place of refuge. A place of learning. A place of becoming. Let's give Him "our bodies, a living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1) and offer Him everything that is part of our lives, then allow Him to make us in the image of Jesus. This is the way to true healthy living. This is the way to destiny. This is the way to heaven.
