New Life in Christ is a spiritual journey. It's a journey of incredible destiny! We are without question bound for heaven where Jesus is, however, there's the here and now! You certainly wont be the first Christ to have wished that as soon as they were saved they were translated to heaven. It doesn't quite work that way. Now is the time when God builds Christ-likeness into us. To assume this to be a pathway of joyous delight would be very novas for sure. It is however a God ordained, God directed, pathway of which the outcome is to His glory!
To make a fine statue from cold hard granite stone requires a lot hammer and chisel work. The end result is great but if we could hear from that stone each time the chisel struck it would sound to be quite a painful experience. Putting off the old sin nature and putting on Christ involves a lot more personal pain than changing your clothes. The old nature must be put to death! In other words it must be put in its rightful place, the grave. It's not always easy to say no to former habits and pleasurable sins. It requires purposed disciple and a spiritual determination to allow Jesus to be Lord in every area of our life. This is a MUST! It's something we must do individually. I can't do it for you, you can't do it for me and God isn't going to it for us! Eph 4:22-24 - throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy. The concept of throwing off the old sin nature is brought more into perspective in Col 3:5 "So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world." There's nothing easy or glamorous about death but it does involve our spiritual growth and maturity.
The old sin nature is an enemy that must be understood to be such! It cannot be flirted or compromised with. It MUST die in order for the nature of Christ to flourish within your new person. God is on our side! You need to remember this! Your life as a child of God is not haphazard. Nothing is by chance! Is everything easy? No! But everything will be used by the Lord to perfect Christ-likeness in us. Rom 8:28-30 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
God has called and chosen you to be like Jesus. This takes the work of the Master Sculpture. The chisel will hit the rock and you most likely will feel the blow now what are you going to do with this working of Almighty God in your life? You can choose to disallow God's working and rebel against His loving care for you resulting in you going on living in your sin filled ways, OR you can choose to accept God's actions developing instead an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Col 4:2 - Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.It's been said that a person's perspective is their reality. How we understand and view the circumstances and situation that God permits to come into our life will determine our attitude towards God! Eph 5:20 - And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only way that this Scripture can become a living reality for us personally is if we understand God to be in total control of every situation, which of course He is! The challenge is to believe it and to trust that God will honor His Word. When faith is involved the only thing that separates the promises of God from their fulfillment is something we call time. Time is what we so often struggle with. We're not too interesting in waiting. We want help now, freedom now, deliverance, now, healing now, financial help now! We've grown up during a time when we expect everything on demand and if we don't get it well we'll go somewhere else! Not so with the Lord. He's the Boss and we MUST learn to allow God to have His way. We MUST learn to have a grateful heart at all times. 1Thes. 5:18 - Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I hope this helps you, over the years I've had to learn not to wander too far from the cross. When things are going rough, go back to the cross, see Jesus suffering, bleeding and dieing there for you! There, at the foot of the cross I'm reminded gain that God's love and grace has saved me and no matter what happens in this life I'm God's child, accepted in Christ and bound for heaven. For this I am eternally grateful!
In God's time He will cause everything to work something good into our life if we let Him, if we don't rebel in unbelief and allow bitterness against God to come into our life. Ph.1:6 - And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. We need to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and continually allow Jesus full access to every area of our life. It's an area were we can direct our prayers, seeking the Lord's help in causing us to have a grateful heart at all times. He will do this! It's in full agreement with His will and Word.
.
