Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29
Although this verse is controversial regarding the issue of predestination, the primary message of the verse is meant to encourage us in our walk with Christ. We can expect a lot of difficult day in our pilgrimage serving the Lord: loss of job, family crises, health problems, financial stress, betrayal, misunderstanding, and a host of other challenges. One of the main points of Romans 8:28, 29 is that we can rest assure that our Lord will use all of our life experiences, including the negative ones, to make us look more like Jesus – His ultimate goal and plan for believers. So when the exigencies of this life land right on top of us, instead of running away from them, questioning “Why?” or praying for them to depart (although that is not a bad thing to do), why not let each be filtered through the fact that God intends to use them to help us look more like Jesus?
Recently I looked at my sister and found her beauty quite staggering. When she was a little girl, there was not the slightest hint that she looked like my mother. Even in her young adult life, no one ever saw the resemblance. But now she is almost the exact image of my mom. The day you receive Christ as your Savior, you had very little resemblance to Him. Even after baptism, the likeness could scarcely be seen. But as you respond to the difficulties of life with the mind of Christ, you become more and more like Him. One day, because of His predestination, you will look just like Jesus.
Heavenly Father, You have desired that all should come to repentance, that none should perish. Thank You for allowing me to be a part of Your wonderful heavenly family. I am so thankful that I am not as I once was. I am not everything that I ought to be now, but by Your grace and mercy, I will one day be everything that You have intended me to be. May the circumstances of this life conform me to look more like Jesus, who is the truth. Amen.
Thank you...
Shared From Mike Whitson, Indian Trail, NC