Today's Word 🌱

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."
- 2 Corinthians 3:18

Have you ever stopped, observed life around us, and wondered to yourself "Hmm, Christianity today surely looks a lot different to the Christianity lived and displayed by Jesus"? It is something I have been contemplating for a while. Historically, the early Christians lived in simplicity, hungered for truth and righteousness, endured persecution to the death, shared what they owned with each other, worshipped together in secret because Christianity was considered illegal, and were bold in their courage of living for Jesus and dying in Him. Their belief and testimony was so firmly rooted in Christ that even after their death, through the working of the Holy Spirit, more persons were won over and converted to the message and movement of the gospel. After all, something worth dying for was something worth living for.

I stumbled across a video ¹ sometime ago, that satirically depicted an imaginary encounter between an early Christian and a modern day Christian. As they conversed with each other face to face, the contrast was evidently stark. It offered quite the perspective check. In a nutshell, it is quick to recognize that we as modern day Christians have come to enjoy a level of freedom, comfort, stability and ease that would have been unimaginable to the first century believer. 

While change is good, especially when it's for better, the real question that emerges in my mind is, have we changed for the better? Have the sacrifices in the past continued to be an effectively sobering inspiration in the present? Have we been able to hold on to all that was good in the early church culture and built, improved on it and grown even more in our fervor, love and sacrifice for the gospel and one another as we come closer to the second coming of the Lord? Have we become even more firmly rooted in and hungry for the truth of the Word as we have such easy access to it now and the education to understand it even better now? 

If we were to compare ourselves to other modern day Christians or even some Bible characters, we may very well find reasons to pat ourselves on the back and think we are doing quite well, and we may even be correct on some levels. However, we may also run the danger of missing the target altogether, due to the fact that human standards have proven to be ever changing. Therefore, even more importantly than picturing ourselves in conversation with an early Christian, I think is picturing ourselves face to face with Jesus. I don't know about you, but for me personally, when I measure myself against Christ, I think there is room for improvement in my growth and reflection of Him. Our prayer no longer resembles that of the Pharisee in Luke 18, but rather that of the tax collector [Luke 18:9-14]. 

I guess what I am trying to say is that we are encouraged to look to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Paul expresses it this way in 2 Corinthians 3:18 - "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."  Accepting Jesus as our Saviour, our example, our standard, our mirror to check ourselves, our textbook, and our model for righteous living, we align ourselves in a better position by faith, to be transformed in a way that truly matters and can stand the test of time. 

His passion, His love, His simplicity, His standards, His boldness, His stand for truth, His call to repentance and forsaking of sins, His courage, His mercy, His commitment to the work of the gospel, and much more, all continue to live on in the Word, and now in our hearts and minds. It requires individual introspection and pursuit of Christ, and inspires us to keep the flame of the gospel and His second coming burning bright, even in this darkening world: Jesus is coming again. Let's turn our face to Jesus today. 

Prayer:

Dear Father, thank You for Jesus, Your greatest gift to us. We are sorry if we have misunderstood this gift, or taken this gift for granted, or even pushed this gift aside. The gift of a life sacrificially lived for us, and eventually given up also in sacrifice for us is not one to be taken lightly. Help us, as we come face to face with Jesus, that we see Him for who He truly is, that we see ourselves for who we truly are, and that humbly accept the discipleship He calls us to. Transform us continually from the inside out, as we seek after You. 

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Be blessed by the following timeless song. The chorus is one that truly reminds us of the beauty of having Jesus as our point of of focus. 🎧😊🙏🏼

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

References: 

¹ Video - If a first century Christian had a conversation with your average 2021 Christian (Melissa Dougherty)