LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Philippians 3:21 … who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

They’re back! Those self-promoting and opponent degrading political ads are back. We must be getting close to an election again. Every candidate attempts to persuade the public with policies that are purported to transform America. Some focus on the economy, and believe they single-handedly can solve the debt crisis. Some focus on the war on terror, and believe their policies can bring peace to the world. Others don’t have any clearly defined policies; they just seem to hate what the guy stands for who is currently in the office they want. But all these candidates have the same problem – none of them has the power to bring everything under their control to accomplish any sort of true transformation. Their policies may sound appealing and their goals may be commendable, but their ability to implement them is limited by the number of people who are opposed to them.

What a contrast to Paul’s statement about Jesus. There is a day coming when the Savior will return to this earth. Like any previous conqueror, king, president or congressman, He has sent out promotional material to state His case. His platform and policy statement is called the Bible. In it He promises to do several things:

1. Take all His supporters out of this evil system and deliver them to a new kingdom in a new world where all evil, suffering, fear, and tears have been completely eliminated.
2. Transform all the bodies of His supporters into perfect replicas of His eternal body.
3. Purge the present world of all people who have opposed Him.
4. Cast out of this world the leader of the opposition party, whose name is Satan.
5. Establish an earthly kingdom centered in Jerusalem where He will sit on the throne and reign for 1,000 years, with all His supporters assisting Him in governing the kingdom.
6. He will destroy this entire world following a revolt of the people against His reign.
7. Permanently and eternally send all who opposed Him to hell.
8. Create a new heaven and a new earth for all His supporters – a place free forever from the influence and effects of sin.

Sounds pretty unbelievable from a human perspective, doesn’t it? But it is more than just another political ad. When Paul makes His statement that Jesus Christ will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be identical to His glorious body, he clearly qualifies the promise with this guarantee – by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control. Christ has been enabled by the unlimited power of God to accomplish everything He has promised.

All the promises in the Bible would be as meaningless as political advertising except for the power of God that backs them up.

• It is the power that has been clearly displayed for all to see in the creation and sustaining of the world.
• It is the power that has been historically documented by turning water into dry land so that an entire nation could escape from slavery.
• It is the power that tore down the walls of a great fortified city named Jericho with the simple shout of His supporters.
• It is the power that sent fire from heaven to accept the sacrifice of His supporter Elijah and destroy 400 hundred supporters of the opponent.
• It is the power that became flesh and lived as one of us, walking on water, calming the stormy seas, healing the sick and the lame, restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, and raising the dead to life again.
• In the greatest recount in political history, that same power raised Jesus from the dead when the opponent thought He had won. He conquered for all eternity the power of the opponent to ever fully accomplish his rebellious agenda.
• It is the power that makes the claim, “If God be for us, who can stand against us?”

But for me the most significant aspect of the power of Jesus Christ is this – He brings everything under His control so the transformation of my life will be perfect. When Jesus Christ enters our lives at the moment of our repentance from sin and faith in His sacrifice on the cross, He brings His power to bear on our lives so that absolutely everything can be transformed.

In His time, when He returns, He will permanently transform the physical. On that day our bodies will be made glorious. In eager anticipation of that day, we are now experiencing the awesome power of God to transform our spirits into the glorious likeness of Christ. Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 3:18, 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.

When Jesus returns, our physical bodies will be made into the likeness of His glorious body. For now, we have the power to have our spirits transformed into the likeness of His Spirit. Everything that stands opposed to the likeness of Jesus has been destroyed, and its only power is the permission we give it to exist. We can choose to reflect the attitudes and actions of the world, or to reflect the attitude and actions of Jesus. Absolutely everything about your life right now can be brought under the control of the power of Jesus Christ, and He will transform you completely. Why not fall to your knees right now and confess Him as your Savior and Lord? His power will change everything. His power fulfills every promise!

Pastor John