Metamorphosis of the Soul

I get such a kick out of God’s creation.  Some creatures truly astound me.  The butterfly is one of them. Seriously, how on earth could a lowly insect with up to 16 legs go through a “metamorphic” process to emerge the most breathtaking creature that can now fly? Yet, when I think about the transformation this caterpillar must go through to become this free-flying butterfly, I can easily visualize a similar metamorphosis of the soul for us as humans. As unbelievers we can be compared to the caterpillar, and as Christians, as we continually surrender our lives to the Lord, it is as if we can be compared to the new creature—the butterfly. But, it all begins with faith. The caterpillar must have instinctively had faith that something better was waiting for him. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life crawling around on his belly. So, he began the process of spinning himself into a chrysalis where he would remain and undergo a radical transformation. Likewise, we need faith to begin our journey with God too. In God’s infinite wisdom, He placed an instinctive need and desire in all humans to seek after Him. There is a void in our hearts that simply cannot be satisfied with anything or anyone else. Furthermore, we will not experience this full life until we fill it with His Presence.

Faith is the root of the Christian life. It is a confident belief and trust that God exists; that His only Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth as a baby, lived, suffered, and died for our sins. This faith gives us hope to live our earthly lives, often times filled with tragedy and heartache, with perseverance, knowing that one day we shall receive eternal life with our Father. This faith allows us to live in this sin-filled world and be a light unto the darkness, not succuming  under it. In the Bible, faith is defined as “being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). “And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  Ironically, faith is something that God Himself imparts to us. His righteousness imparts to all people the ability to believe that He is God and that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to save us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

We have been given the ability to believe; however, we are the ones who must put our faith in Jesus Christ.  This is something God will never force us to do. Sometimes, however, God allows us to get to the end of ourselves. In other words, although He doesn’t cause hardships, He allows the natural consequences of life, which includes the choices we make, to bring us to a place of desperation where there is nothing else to do but “look up.” This is the place of utter neediness and the place of surrender.  We surrender our hearts and our lives to a holy God who is and remains Sovereign.  We finally recognize that we are NOT in control, and this brings us to the perfect place where God works the most incredible miracles in our lives. When we turn to Him with childlike faith asking Him to help us in our distress, He performs the most radical surgery in our hearts.  He turns our hearts of stone into hearts that long to believe and love Him.  This isn’t an instantaneous thing.  Rather, it is a processing of surrendering our desires and turning our lives over to the One who knows and loves us the most. 

Believe me, there is work involved in this process.  This is what I call proactive faith.  Faith always requires action—it is not passive—idly sitting by doing nothing and expecting God to do it all. Our job is to seek after God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). His job is to transform our hearts.  And He will! The more we seek after Him through prayer, immersing ourselves in the Bible, and fellowshipping with other believers, the more radically He transforms us.  We slowly begin to change on the inside—comparatively like a butterfly going through a metamorphosis. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Sometimes we will not even be aware of how much we are changing, but eventually we will notice that we have been transformed on a deeper level. Maybe the same TV shows we used to watch appall us now, or when we hear the Lord’s name being spoken in vain, we cringe. And, we may even notice our own language beginning to “clean up.”  Others, too, will notice that we are different.  Those who are going through their own spiritual transformation will understand and applaud you.  Those who are not will question what happened to the “old” you.

Again, I can’t think of a better analogic comparison than that of the caterpillar that once crawled around on the floor, eventually spinning itself into a cocoon, and then emerging a beautiful new creature—a butterfly! And now for Butterfly Metamorphosis 101: Did you know that once inside its cocoon, a caterpillar changes into a pupa and slowly digests itself from the inside out, causing its body to die? During this partial death, some of the caterpillar's old tissues are salvaged to form new ones, and this remnant of cells is used to create a new body. Using its digestive juices, the caterpillar turns his old larval body into food which he uses to rebuild its new body. Eventually he is ready to emerge from his cocoon and then begins the process of pushing on the walls of the shell until it breaks open.  And we all know just how beautiful he is when he emerges with strikingly colorful, iridescent and patterned wings!

This “metamorphic” process is exactly what happens to us as we seek after the Lord with all of our hearts. We cocoon ourselves when we spend time with the Lord in worship and the study of His Word. When we fellowship with other believers, when we sit still in the Lord’s Presence.  It is the Holy Spirit who transforms our souls, and it is what He does best!  Left to our own strength we could never be “good enough” and would never emerge a new creation. Yet, the closer we draw to Jesus, the more the Holy Spirit is able to work in our lives. This, as mentioned before, is a process. (This is no different than the caterpillar that remains in the cocoon for quite a while). That is why believers still sin. Others who judge and criticize them do so unwisely, because walking in the Christian life is a day by day choice.  We are all “works in progress,” and will continue to make mistakes, lose our temper, and sin. However, because the Spirit lives in our hearts, He will convict us of our sin. Quick repentance follows because we will not like how we feel.  We know that our sin has grieved the Holy Spirit who lives within us. As we confess our sins and ask for His help in avoiding sin, we are restored to our Holy Father.  Sin will become less alluring to us as the Spirit continues to deepen our faith and draw us closer to the heart of God. We emerge as new creations in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  This is all such a marvelous mystery.

The beautiful irony is that God knows us so intimately and loves us so immensely that He allows certain trials and tests to come our way in order to deepen our faith.  Simply put, He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. But these hardships are never to harm us…only to teach us to depend on Him and grow spiritually.  Trials have a way of doing that like nothing else.  Ask any strong Christian how they became so grounded in the Lord, and they will, no doubt, talk about some deep trials and struggles they had to face and go through. These struggles brought them to a place of surrender as they relied on Him to deepen their faith and trust in an unseen God; and, how they would never, ever turn back to their old ways!  I am one of them.

It is important to remember that we are not justified or made right with God by “observing the law”, but by faith alone in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:15). In the Bible, the Galatians were confused as they believed that they received the God’s Spirit by simply observing the law. “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you eard?” (Galatians 3:3-5). It goes on to say that Abraham believed God and that his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Likewise, we who believe, are credited as righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ. “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles (all non-Jews) by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:8-9). 

That is such good news for us because we could never observe the law perfectly anyway.  Jesus took care of that for us when He suffered and died on the cross for our sins. He took on the penalty for our sins through His precious blood. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:13-14). But be warned—that does not give us license to sin because He took care of it for us.  We should strive to live a sinless life, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, we are empowered turn from sin. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). 

More good news—we can escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  If we add to our faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love, and if we continue to increase these qualities through the help of the Holy Spirit, God’s Word promises that we will not be ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  We do not have to be slaves to sin. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galations 5:1).

Throughout God’s Word, we are given precious promises from the Lord Himself that encourage and motivate us to godly living.  One of the promises I treasure the most comes from 2 Peter 1:10-11, “For if you do these things you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  I can almost imagine the scene.  Jesus welcoming me into His loving arms and eternal Kingdom forever.  No matter what has happened in my life, all the hardships I have endured and all the pain that I have suffered, will have been worth it all.  To know that my life counted for something bigger, including all of its sorrows and disappointments; to know that I am His, and that I will live forever with Jesus….well, nothing on earth could ever compare to this immense joy!

Spiritual Poverty

Have you ever wondered why a Christian, someone who knows and professes Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, struggles to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ?  Without sounding judgmental, I have known many who truly do believe that Jesus is the Christ, yet have forfeited any real spiritual growth in their lives.  Sure, there are times when some fruit is produced, yet the branches remain stringy and the fruit that they bear is sparse. Think of a cherry tomato plant, for instance. When it gets the proper nutrients, water, and sunlight, it flourishes as it produces hundreds of cherry tomatoes on its thick branches. If it gets a little water here and there and minimal sunlight, it may not die, but it will struggle to grow and produce fruit.  Of course, if it gets no water or sunlight at all, it will fail to grow altogether.   

The vital ingredients that are absolute necessary in order for them to grow into lush, fruit-bearing tomato plants are what they take in. In this case, sunlight, water, and plant fertilizer.  Consider this plant analogy when you think of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as water, sunlight, and fertilizer are necessary to produce an abundant crop, we desperately need to draw deep from the well of Jesus Christ in order to grow into the Christians He created us to be. Professing our faith in Jesus Christ may gain us salvation, but in order to bear fruit, we must stay connected to the vine. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 

Okay, you understand that with your mind.  You need more of Jesus. Yet for some reason, it can take such a long time for that reality to travel from your head deep down into your heart. You know you should pray daily, read your Bible, and make Jesus Christ an integral part of your life.  And often you start praying or reading your Bible, yet you quickly fall away, old habits re-emerge and you are left “stuck” in the same place you were 10 years ago.  The reality is that if someone were to look at your plant, it would not have grown into that lush fruit-bearing plant that God intended it to be.  You become discouraged and frustrated as your efforts appear to be so minimal. You may even ask yourself “What is wrong with me? What’s the use? Why can’t I seem to move forward in my faith walk?”

As I recently read Scripture, I pondered on a verse that took on an entire new meaning for me. Taken from the book of Matthew, it is often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. Jesus spoke to the crowds and addressed many topics. The very first verse is the one that struck me most. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).  As I meditated on the verse and asked God for insight, He brought some thoughts to my mind.  To be “poor in spirit” is to experience spiritual poverty, or to recognize one’s utter neediness and dependence on God.  It is to come to the end of ourselves, recognizing our own inadequacy to handle life, and that we are incapable of becoming the person God wants us to be without His Divine intervention. Being “poor in spirit” personifies a life that is not spiritually proud or self-sufficient, but desperately wants to know and love God.  It hungers and thirsts for the living God and desires to walk with Him intimately.  Knowing “about Jesus” is no longer sufficient. The person who is poor in spirit has arrived at the place in his life where nothing else satisfies—he now yearns to know Jesus personally and intimately. So he surrenders his life completely to Jesus as well as the many concerns that consume him.  He trusts that Jesus is fully in control and will never let him go. He takes his hand off the wheel and allows Jesus to be in the driver’s seat of his life.

Easier said than done, right?  Not really.  I believe there are two primary ways that we can experience spiritual poverty.  Unfortunately, one of them is quite painful as it involves suffering and brokenness. Suffering has the ability to bring us to the end of ourselves and to our knees quicker than anything else. Jesus said that He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. When we suffer we cry out to God and are desperate for healing. “Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliver, O my God, do not delay” (Psalm 40:17).   “This poor man called and the Lord heard him, he saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6). 

Brokenness brings us to God who alone has the power to heal our broken hearts. However, even in our brokenness we must come to Him and believe that He is with us and has the power to restore and redeem us.  Many people remain in their brokenness, while they languish in bitterness of soul, because they have not fully surrendered their lives, including their pain and sorrows, to Jesus Christ. Because they hold onto their pain, they don’t fully relinquish it to God, and He is unable to completely restore and heal them. Once they let go and surrender their deepest hurts to the Lord, He carries them gently as He strengthens them day by day.  Before long their faith and trust in Him grows and they come to recognize that God can use all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  Yes, even the most gut-wrenching, painful experiences of our lives.

Even though Jesus Himself told us that in this world we will have troubles, we are to take heart for He has overcome the world. He loves us too much to leave us the way we are; and, therefore, the trials he allows have enormous capacity to bring us to spiritual poverty. However, I don’t believe that every single Christian is called to suffer immense pain or experience extreme tragedy in order to become “poor in spirit”.  I think most people would prefer to experience spiritual poverty through a less painful way—the way of Obedience. 

When we are obedient to God we put ourselves in the proper position as we align our life to God’s will.  The best way to become obedient is to immerse yourself in God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit take over.  I believe that to know God is to love Him; to love God is to obey Him; and, to obey God is to serve Him.  KNOW, LOVE, OBEY, SERVE. I truly believe that we will never love God until we get to know Him, and the absolute best way to know God is to become a lifelong student of His Word.  When you come to know God through the written Word you can’t help but fall in love with Him.  Besides, the Holy Spirit takes over and does miraculous transformation in your life and heart through the written Word.  When you fall in love with Jesus, your heart desires what He does, and obedience is the natural outflow of your love for Him. The Holy Spirit continually opens the eyes of your heart, He quickens you when you sin, and you quickly turn to God for forgiveness.  You desire to live your life in obedience to God as you surrender all areas of your life to Him. You recognize that He is Sovereign and that He will perfect all that concerns you.  This is living in total dependence on God, and He graciously replaces your worries, frustrations, doubts, and concerns with His perfect peace. You are experiencing “spiritual poverty” as you take your hands off the wheel and depend on Him to take you safely to your destination.

In closing, the notes in my NIV Bible describe the state of being “blessed” as the “ultimate well-being and distinctive spiritual joy of those who share in the salvation of the kingdom of God.” When we are “poor in spirit” Jesus says that we are truly blessed for ours is the kingdom of heaven. I think Jesus is telling us that—yes, we can have a little heaven while we inhabit the earth here and now.  And I am quite sure that what awaits us in heaven with Jesus is simply beyond our wildest imagination!