In Ephesians 4:22-24 I read, “Take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.” (The Message)
Many religions and philosophies promote the old lie that humans are divine or can become gods. Let me be absolutely clear: I will never become God or even a god.
That prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they followed his advice, they would “be as gods” (Genesis 3:5 KJV).
This desire to be a god shows up every time I try to control my circumstances, future, and the people around me. But i’m a creature; I will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want me to become a god; he wants me to become godly. He wants me to develop his values, attitudes, and character.
I am meant to “take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you” (Ephesians 4:22-24 The Message).
God’s ultimate goal for my life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants me to grow spiritually and become like Christ.
Becoming like Christ does not mean losing my personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created my uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming my character, not my personality.
God wants me to develop the kind of character described in the Beatitudes of Jesus (Matthew 5:1-2), the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), Paul’s great chapter on love (1 Corinthians 13), and Peter’s list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life (2 Peter 1:5-8).
When I forget that character is one of God’s purposes for my life, I will become frustrated by my circumstances. I may wonder, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time?” One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables me to grow.
Many Christians misinterpret Jesus’ promise of an abundant life (John 10:10) to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer.
They expect the Christian life to be easy. They expect heaven on Earth.
This self-absorbed perspective treats God as a genie who simply exists to serve me in my selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. But God is not my servant. If I fall for the idea that life is supposed to be easy, I will either become severely disillusioned or live in denial of reality.
Never forget that life is not about me! I exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on Earth when he’s planned the real thing for me in eternity? Spend my time on Earth preparing for heaven by building my Christlike character.
In summary, I am to take on an entirely new way of life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into my conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in me. I will never become God or even a god. This desire to be a god shows up every time I try to control my circumstances, future, and the people around me. God doesn’t want me to become a god; he wants me to become godly. He wants me to develop his values, attitudes, and character. God’s ultimate goal for my life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants me to grow spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing my personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created my uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming my character, not my personality. When I forget that character is one of God’s purposes for my life, I will become frustrated by my circumstances. Life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables me to grow. Many misinterpret Jesus’ promise of an abundant life. They expect the Christian life to be easy. They expect heaven on Earth. This self-absorbed perspective treats God as a genie who simply exists to serve me in my selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. Never forget that life is not about me! I exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on Earth when he’s planned the real thing for me in eternity? So I need to spend my time on Earth preparing for heaven by building my Christlike character.
My old way of life before I believe in Christ is completely in the past. When I decided to accept Christ's gift of salvation, it was both a once-for-all-time decision as well as a daily conscious commitment. I am not to be driven by desire and impulse. I must put on a new nature. head in a new direction, and have the new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit gives.
Father, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and can trust you in everything, including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. It’s sometimes difficult to see how you are working on my character in the midst of difficult circumstances. I need your eternal perspective so that I can focus on the reward of heaven, and change how I approach tough times. Therefore, I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I ask and pray these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
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