The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Philippians 1:7-8,
"It is right for me [Paul] to feel this way about all of you [the Philippian believers], since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."
Note the wonderful warm and loving heart Paul manifests here for others. However, he was not always this way. Here is the man who at one time was a violent man. His confession is, "I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man..", 1 Timothy 1:13. We see him in action, prior to his conversion in Acts 9:1-2, "Saul [Paul] was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."
What a change in Paul! He treated the early believers mercilessly before he met Jesus Christ. Following his encounter with the risen Lord, he was now such that he held believers in his heart, "with the affection of Christ Jesus." He says he longed for these believers and that his feelings were appropriate since they shared in God's grace with him. How amazing the transformation the Lord can bring, even to the hardest of hearts!
The work the Lord does in our lives is astounding and reflects something of the Lord's own heart. Those who know the Lord are indwelt with his Holy Spirit who brings into our lives the very character and nature of Jesus Christ. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23. Look at those qualities the Holy Spirit works within us as we are transformed by him. The Lord also uses difficulties to shape and mold us into his image, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Romans 8:28-29. Those difficulties might include what Paul mentions in verse 35, "...trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword".
Other passages speak to the qualities the Lord works within us, manifesting his own wonderful character and nature, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5. These are the kinds of things God works in our lives as he conforms us "to the image of his Son."
Peter also speaks of the things the Lord builds into our lives in 2 Peter 1:5-7, "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love." The "effort" here is to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about these changes in our lives. The Lord has provided us everything we need to be transformed by him into his own image, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." Verses 3-4. Our job is to make that choice to allow the Lord's work to be manifested in our lives.
The wonderful change we see in Paul's heart and the transformation the Lord desires to bring to all of our lives speak of his amazing character and nature. Wonderful in his many-splendored qualities, he manifests his own heart in the changes he brings to our cold and hard hearts! Just look at Paul!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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