It's an Extreme Makeover like you cannot imagine. The interim details are a little sketchy, but the ultimate completion is absolutely astonishing. When it's done, we'll look just like Him.
"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2 NASB)
To see Jesus at His return is to appear exactly like Him. One of the last detailed picture of Him that we see in the Bible is found in Revelation 1:13-16, and it's a picture almost beyond description. No longer is He the carpenter from Nazareth, with no particularly striking physical appearance (Isaiah 53:2). Gone forever is the horribly disfigured Jesus who was abused and then crucified (Isaiah 52:14). Replacing those images is a magnificently glorified, exalted, triumphant Jesus that we are destined to resemble! So, we ultimately win the battle of the bulge; we are victorious over age spots; wrinkles, sags, bags, and arthritis are forever banished. We are destined for perfection in appearance, and character.
The key priority for us today, then, is to work backwards from the final result. If Christ-likeness is the result, then the priority is the process leading to the result. In other words, what is consistent in my life today with the direction that the Lord is taking me? For that reason John says, "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3 NASB).
Make no mistake: we will not be perfectly Christ-like this side of the kingdom, nor will we achieve it by our own frail efforts. But lifestyle today should increasingly harmonize with the ultimate goal. Obsession with success and wealth should be diminishing; worldly pleasures and charms should be losing their luster and appeal. As the goal shines brighter, diversions to the goal begin to pale in significance and appeal.
The life leading to the kingdom of God often gets a bad rap for being a "religion" of "don'ts" and "can'ts". It is increasingly clear to me that it's a lifestyle of joyous denials for the sake of future gratification. The long view, with the true goal clearly in focus, is one that sees passing pleasure as deadly diversion from ultimate satisfaction in the Age to Come. Therefore, why would any disciple want to displace the goal of true Christ-likeness with that which is completely inconsistent with His character and appearance?
We know the ultimate goal and outcome. May we live victoriously and optimistically today in light of the goal.
Steve
© 2010, Steve Taylor
"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2 NASB)
To see Jesus at His return is to appear exactly like Him. One of the last detailed picture of Him that we see in the Bible is found in Revelation 1:13-16, and it's a picture almost beyond description. No longer is He the carpenter from Nazareth, with no particularly striking physical appearance (Isaiah 53:2). Gone forever is the horribly disfigured Jesus who was abused and then crucified (Isaiah 52:14). Replacing those images is a magnificently glorified, exalted, triumphant Jesus that we are destined to resemble! So, we ultimately win the battle of the bulge; we are victorious over age spots; wrinkles, sags, bags, and arthritis are forever banished. We are destined for perfection in appearance, and character.
The key priority for us today, then, is to work backwards from the final result. If Christ-likeness is the result, then the priority is the process leading to the result. In other words, what is consistent in my life today with the direction that the Lord is taking me? For that reason John says, "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3 NASB).
Make no mistake: we will not be perfectly Christ-like this side of the kingdom, nor will we achieve it by our own frail efforts. But lifestyle today should increasingly harmonize with the ultimate goal. Obsession with success and wealth should be diminishing; worldly pleasures and charms should be losing their luster and appeal. As the goal shines brighter, diversions to the goal begin to pale in significance and appeal.
The life leading to the kingdom of God often gets a bad rap for being a "religion" of "don'ts" and "can'ts". It is increasingly clear to me that it's a lifestyle of joyous denials for the sake of future gratification. The long view, with the true goal clearly in focus, is one that sees passing pleasure as deadly diversion from ultimate satisfaction in the Age to Come. Therefore, why would any disciple want to displace the goal of true Christ-likeness with that which is completely inconsistent with His character and appearance?
We know the ultimate goal and outcome. May we live victoriously and optimistically today in light of the goal.
Steve
© 2010, Steve Taylor
posted by steve @ 8:38 AM
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