6/5/2008 8:57 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: A life of maturity
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Exodus 19:1-4
Message of the verses: “1
¶ In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt
2 When they set out
from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the
wilderness; and there Israel
God had
promised Moses when he was at the burning bush that He would bring he and the
rest of the children of Israel Mt.
Sinai “Moses would receive the law and shared it with the people; the workers
constructed the tabernacle and its furnishings; the priesthood was established
and instructed; and the people were numbered and the tribes organized for their
march to Kadesh-Barnea.”
The majority
of this SD will be focused on verse four, which really speaks of maturity, or
freedom, which is pictured in the analogy of the eagle and being on eagle’s
wings. For this is a picture of freedom for the eaglet in order to accomplish
what it is that God had intended it to accomplish which is flying. There are three aspects of freedom which the
eagle illustrates: “freedom from (they are out of the nest, which to
us is redemption); freedom in (they
are at home in the air, which to us is maturity), and freedom to (they can fulfill their purpose in
life, which to us is ministry). True
freedom means that we-re delivered from doing the bad, we-re able to do the
good, and we-re accomplishing God’s will on the earth.”
When God
(who used Moses) led the children of Israel out of Egypt it only took one day
for them to leave, however it took the next forty years to get Egypt out of
Israel, for whenever the going got rough (God testing Israel) they wanted to
retreat back to Egypt which was a sign of their immaturity. In past SD’s on Exodus I have learned that
life is a series of tests that God gives to his children in order to bring
about maturity in their life. I believe
that in the simplest terms that God calls a person, born into the world to be
born again into the Body of Christ, the family of God and the end goal for all
believers while they are on this earth is found in Romans 8:29: “God knew what he was doing from the very
beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him
along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line
of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives
there in him.” (Message) “For those whom He foreknew, He also
predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be
the firstborn among many brethren.”
(NASB) From the time that the
miracle of the new birth takes place until the time when the Lord calls us home
(either by the undertaker or the Upper Taker) we are in the school of life and
when we are in school we can expect test from our Teacher, tests that are to
make us better and not bitter, tests that bring about maturity, tests that are
to continue to form us into the image of Jesus Christ so that when we are
finally, truly home, we will be like Him. The word in Romans 8:29 in the Greek
that is translated conformed is “summorphos soom-mor-fos.’” The definition of this word is “having the
same form as another, similar, conformed to.”
The word translated conformed in Romans 8:29 is only used their in the
entire Bible, however Paul uses another word, “suschematizo
soos-khay-mat-id’-zo” that is translated conformed in Romans 12:2. The meaning of this verse (in my mind) means
the opposite of the meaning in Romans 8:29.
Romans 12:2 is a very familiar verse. “And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove
what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” The definition of conformed in this verse means,
“to conform one’s self (i.e. one’s mind and character) to another’s pattern,
(fashion one’s self according to). The
question arises as to what does all of this have to do with the verses in
Exodus? Well I have been writing about
maturity and the subject of immaturity also came up so in my mind if I look at
these two verses in Romans and the use of the words translated conformed I
think that the first one means maturity, having freedom to be what it is that
God wants me to be, and the second one means to go back to “Egypt,” in a
spiritual sense that is, being conformed into the world system, or immaturity
for the believer.
I guess
that I may as well take this one step further, and that is what is the key to
becoming like Christ, and I think that is found in the later part of Romans
12:2 where I find the word “translated” and this Greek word is “metamorphoo
met-am-or-fo’-o” where the English word metamorphous comes from and that word
means, “to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure,” and the
example of this is “Christ appearance was changed and was resplendent with
divine brightness on the mount of transfiguration.” Paul goes on to say that this transformation
or maturity takes place by the renewing of one’s mind. How does one have their mind renewed? I would say that the best way is the Word of
God, and with that I will conclude for it doesn’t get any better than that!!!
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I would say that Romans 8:29 and Romans 12:2
sum up the spiritual meaning for my life today, and everyday.
My Steps of Faith for
Today:
- Continue to be conformed, by the Word of God to be more like the Son of God. Romans 8:29 & Romans 12:2.
- To be yoked with the Lord Jesus Christ as seen in Matthew 11:28-30.
- To have the Lord direct my path as seen in Proverbs 3:5-6.
- To learn contentment as Paul writes about in Phil. 4:11.
- To learn to pray as Epaphras prayed as seen in Col. 4:12.
- To remember that God is faithful that He will not let me be tested or tempted beyond what I can handle, but will provide a way to escape.
Memory verse for the week: Colossians
4:12
12.
Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave
of Jesus Christ, sends his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in
prayer, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
6/5/2008 10:37 AM
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