Ewald Schmidt

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30

If you like to build a jigsaw puzzle, it is helpful when you know what the picture on the box looks like. Then you will know how to fit all the pieces together. This is true of most things in our lives. Before we attempt to do anything, we need to know what outcome we are trying to reach. How will we know when our project is finished? What does success look like? How do we measure our progress? When we talk about our journey of faith, being guided by the Holy Spirit, it is wise to ask what we are trying to reach. What does a life to the glory of God look like? How shall we know if we are on the right path?

God has been busy planning our lives long before we got here. He has a certain image in mind for our lives, and he has given us his Spirit to build that image. The purpose of our lives, the quest we have embarked on, is to be transformed into the image of Christ. Our lives should resemble Jesus more and more every day. On the one hand, this means that the Spirit helps us to do away with everything that does not conform to Christ in our lives. What would not be up to standard? Jesus has taught us, through his example, what it means to be God’s child in this world.

The most important thing we were created for is relationships. We were created as God’s image bearers in this world. The most important relationship we were created for, was to love God with all our heart, our mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37). This love for God affects every other relationship we stand in – we are commanded to love one another as Christ has loved us (John 13:34). The Spirit then wants to help us get rid of everything that hinders our relationship with God. He wants to heal us and help us maintain good relations with the people around us. Thus the image of Christ becomes realised in our lives. To achieve this, God has been working in our lives. He called us to follow him, he has justified us through faith, and he is busy restoring us, bringing back his glory in our lives.

According to a folk tale, a huge slab of fine Italian marble was delivered to Michelangelo Buonarotti, from which he would create his magnificent sculpture of David in Florence. The foreman of the delivery team asked him how he would make David emerge from the marble. The master would have answered, “It is quite easy. I will just chip away everything that does not look like David.” Maybe this is what the Holy Spirit is busy doing in our lives – busy chipping away everything that does not look like Jesus in our lives. And so he is busy creating a masterpiece.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being the model for the transformation of my life. Holy Spirit, please chip away everything in my life that does not look like Jesus. Transform my life that the image of Christ is reflected in me, to your glory. Amen.