“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; ”Philippians 1:6A new year is here again, time for resolutions/promises to make changes in our lives. Many of these may not have lasted the week, and some we will not go back to again. Intents to lose weight, kick a bad habit, start a good habit/hobby, etc. . . We try to use the change of a calendar to expedite change in our life.
As sinful human beings by nature we must go through a process of change to come into the presence of a holy God. This process is called sanctification. Sanctification is a long term change that God initiates in us at salvation, and continues until glorification (in heaven.) While we abandon our resolutions, God will not abandon those who do not succeed at first. God takes our filth and weakness and transforms us into vessels of use and honor. He continues with us, and will see us through to the finish.
God has transformed our world multiple times. In Genesis, he created the earth from a blank pallet. Through much of the Old Testament he transformed the Promised Land from a land of pagans to the blessed land of milk and honey for His chosen people. Jesus came to transform the effects of sin in the world. To do so He took 12 ordinary men. They were uneducated nobodies by anyone’s measure, except for God. He also took the greatest persecutor of Christians, and made him its greatest evangelist and church planter. With these 13 men (and a few of their associates) God gave us the New Testament, and extended his church over the world. Yet God’s favorite transformation is still the change of a sinful heart of stone, to a living heart of flesh.
Since we are still here on this Earth, God still has work to do on us. What is it that you need Him to transform in your life? Are you still seeking his guidance, and trying to be pliable in his hands? The same God that created the huge universe, also fashioned our hearts like an artist. He can take anything in your life, or your whole life, and change it to honor him. Let us all seek to allow the Holy Spirit to do his work in our lives this year, and see how God transforms it!
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