Changed Into His Likeness
Our own transfiguration
With the transfiguration of Christ in mind from yesterday, the apostle Paul speaks to our own sort of transfiguration as we become more like Christ:
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.1
Two Thousand Year Transformation
Believe it or not, we are around the halfway point of Lent and we’ve looked at the Holy Spirit’s role in the Old and New Testaments and the call to holiness and preparation throughout both. The good news is, God’s salvation story doesn’t end with the last apostle dying, or the last book of the Bible being written.
The past two thousand years are a continuation of that salvation story and we can look back and see how the Holy Spirit continues to build his holy church. My hope is that through the remainder of these Lent devotionals we can reflect not only on the teachings of the first apostles, but also on the lives of various saints as well.
The Wisdom of the Saints
There are so many saints who have followed in the footsteps of the apostles and have been a faithful witness to Christ. Many have experienced deep trials and suffering or have even died for their faith. Our journey towards holiness will not be without trials, and so the lives of others who have gone before us can be a wonderful example of faith and source of strength for our journey.
We’ll start with the first saints—the apostles—but if some of the other saints I will draw upon are unfamiliar to you, then I encourage you to read up on them! You will find a wealth of wisdom that is only possible through the Holy Spirit at work in each of them.
The church that Jesus established continues to grow to this day and the call to be faithful witnesses continues as we too are being changed into his likeness through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Preparing Our Hearts
We can serve Christ through our daily lives and simple actions to bring light to a darkened world. We can reflect on how God is calling us to live out our faith and love to those around us today.
2 Cor 3:18