Transformation

It seems like there’s a fast way to do everything anymore. Take microwave dinners for example. A dinner that otherwise might have taken quite awhile to make is done in 2 minutes! Of course, they aren’t as good, but that’s not the only example. There’s drive-thru’s, one-stop-shopping, quick-and-easy, put it together, iron on, and instant anything. Even e-mail, which sends my words across the continent in a split-second has a fast version.
Because of this phenomenon, we seem to have acquired a peculiar, “instant isn’t fast enough” mentality. I mean, seriously! I had to wait at the drive-thru at McDonald’s for 15 WHOLE MINUTES the other day! My Internet connection took 5 minutes to load. My phone took 45 seconds to turn on. These people have wasted my precious time that I could have used to chat with my friends! I am entitled to what I want, when I want it. And I want it now.
What do we expect, then, when we become a Christian? We now have a burning desire for holiness, for perfection. We know we’ve failed God, and we want to do better. So, we pray, like a good Christian should, and ask God to help us. We ask Him to purify us, transform us. And when do we want it?
Now.
Unfortunately for us, holiness is not an all-in-one-stop deal. There’s no quick-and-easy way to do it. There’s no microwave version.
James 1:4
“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Patience is absolutely necessary for us to become full and complete. We have a hard time with this whole “patience” and “wait on the Lord” thing, because it’s not compatible with our “Get what you want when you want it” lifestyle, but the rewards are great.
Romans 12:2
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
When we have been transformed, we will be able to prove what the will of God is, because our minds will be renewed. We will never be perfect on this side of heaven, but through the process of sanctification, we can become more and more like Christ. It is through this process that God prepared us to not only know, but carry out His will. You have watched as I try to make my blog suit my needs (and thank you for your patience), and it’s a little like that. God is changing and transforming us as well, so we are better equipped to carry out His will. God has to teach, train, and refine us before we were ready. This is the process of sanctification and transformation.
This process also prepares us for heaven. One theologian named RC Ryle once said, “Sanctification is absolutely necessary, in order to train and prepare us for heaven. Most men hope to go to heaven when they die; but few, it may be feared, take the trouble to consider whether they would enjoy heaven if they got there.”
This life we live on earth is a mere blink of an eye compared to the eternity we will spend in heaven. The incredible majority of our existence will be spent somewhere else. But God gives us this little speck of time on earth to prepare for heaven, and to work so that others may enter too.
Complete transformation should be something we all long for. True, this means we will never be truly satisfied this side of heaven. But it is worth the effort, because it brings us a little closer to being like the One who died to save us.