Devotional for Saturday, March 25, 2017
“The Transformed Life”
by Dona Hake
Today we are going to meditate on the word transformation. I was reading and thinking about the incredible transformation of the Apostle Paul in the scriptures. Before his transformation he was known as Saul of Tarsus, and some of the most powerful writings in the New Testament were written by him. Before his encounter with God he sought out Christians to imprison them and kill them but praise God he was miraculously transformed by the love of the most forgiving God. What a wonderful day it was in the life of Paul when God knocked him off his “high horse” and he humbled himself under the mighty hand of God!
As I began to pray and think about transformation I immediately saw in my spirit something being turned inside out. You see when you turn anything in side out you see all the things that are hidden. For instance, a piece of clothing. When you turn a piece of clothing inside out you see the stitches or any of the mistakes that were made in it’s making.
I can remember creating many things when I used to sew. Anything from dresses for myself to making a young lady’s wedding gown, and then I made all my bridesmaid’s gowns for my wedding day. I can always remember that each time I created a garment that there was some kind of a mistake that only I knew about, and I did my best to fix it that it would not be seen on the outside yet if you looked at the underside you could see the mistake.
I think of this as a wonderful analogy of who we are. We were fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator. But yet as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ we probably can all recall the day that we turned our hearts over to Him for it was the day we surrendered it all, and we permitted His light to soak into the depths of our heart and examine every place that was wrong, so He could make it right. The Lord knows all that is within us that is imperfect, and He loved us anyway, and began a good work in us. He promises to continue that work as we submit our lives to Him. Praise Him for the day that He turned us inside out, and cleansed us with His wonderful blood! It truly was the beginning of our transformation.
Today I challenge you to continue acknowledging your need for transformation every time you spend time with Him, read His Word, or hear His Word when you attend church. Permit that Word to go into your heart, go into your mind and continue the transforming process by the hand of a loving and living God.
Romans 12:2 Amplified Version
And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].