TRANSFIGURED LIVES

"Be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2)

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image." (2Corinthians 3:18)

IN OUR texts the word rendered transformed, or changed, is the same as is used in Matthew 17:2; and this must have been in the mind of the Apostle when he said, "Be transfigured," and "we are transfigured into the same image." How can this transformation be effected? First, from within, by the renewing of the mind; and second, by beholding the glory of the Lord. As we've seen in our other posting this is an action of God's Grace when received by the believer who is willing to be willing in humility and trust.

The renewing of the mind. This is no matter for emotion or ecstasy, but of bringing our minds into close and constant contact with the truth as contained in the Scriptures. You have not to study yourself in the mirror, to see whether you are becoming transfigured; but as day by day you steep your mind in God's Word, without your realizing it, you will become transfigured. Moses wist not that his face shone. It was for the crowd that waited for him at the mountain-foot to see it, not for him.


Our Lord said: "Abide in Me and I in you." This is somewhat mystical and profound; but He said again: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you"--that is surely within our reach. "It is not too high, not too deep, not too inward, not too mystical," said Dr. Whyte on one occasion; "and when the Master asks that His words shall abide in me, He can mean nothing else than that I shall often recall and recollect His words, and shall repeat them to myself at all times." Jesus likened it to eating of His flesh as He is the Word that put on mans flesh so He could call Himself the son of man as He was housed in the shame of fallen man, so He humbled Himself or brought Himself through the birthing into a dark and wicked world. When we eat of His flesh and digests what He has said then His life begins to take it's place within us and we become bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh again. Part of the secret hidden from view and the understanding of sin-filled man.

As a man thinks in his heart so is he; and if we think those thoughts of self-giving, which characterized our Lord's forecast and determination on the Mount of Transfiguration--if we are animated by the resolve to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God; as we steep our minds in His mind--the transfiguring Grace of that high resolve will insensibly pass into our faces, thus irradiating our meanest actions, our simplest speech.

Beholding and reflecting the Grace and Glory of the Lord. The mirror again is the Scriptures. We find there the reflection of our Lord's highest Grace and glory, which is patent, not in His Creative but in His Redemptive work. As we gaze on Him who, for our salvation hid not His Face from shame and spitting, but became a willing Sacrifice on our behalf, we shall be changed.

We are to willfully choose to obey the Lord and resist all the pressures of the world to conform to it's ways and it's religions, for the Lord through Paul tells us to not be conformed to it, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Put down those fleshly lusts and appetites that so easily beset you. Come out from among them and be holy for I am Holy said the Lord to Israel and He has not changed those words sense He first released them by His breath.

Taken in part from a daily devotional by F.B. Meyer with limited editing by me.