As a Christian, my primary goal in life is to imitate Christ’s behavior and attitude more and more with every passing day. I should grow to be empathetic to the people around me. I should learn to pray and do it as often as possible. I should be humble and live life as if I deserve nothing. But even though I don’t deserve anything, I am grateful for the many blessings that I’ve received.
Like a newborn baby, I must crave pure spiritual milk so that I will grow into my full experience of salvation. I cry for God’s nourishment once I have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness (1 Peter 2:2-3).
Diamonds are a crystalline form of carbon that are formed deep inside the earth, where temperatures and pressures are very high. Molten magma slowly moves these diamonds to the surface, where they can be mined. Occasionally diamonds are also formed on the surface of the earth when a meteor strikes the surface. This also creates a high temperature and pressure environment which can produce diamonds.
In a similar way, I can keep learning to see and reflect the glory of the Lord so that I can become more and more like Him as I am changed into His glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18). However, the process of changing into the likeness of Christ is a lifelong endeavor. The processes themselves build patience, which is an attribute of Christ as well.
Like the formation of a diamond from carbon, real human change begins on the inside and then moves outward. Change begins in my mind with my thoughts. My thoughts lead to feelings and then my feelings lead to my behaviors. When I try to change my exterior behavior alone, any change that comes doesn’t usually last. I need to get to the root of why I’m doing a certain behavior.
It takes a lot of work to change my behavior and even more work to imitate godly behaviors. I shouldn’t waste my precious time on trivial matters when I can work on becoming more godly every day. Soon I will notice much fruit as I grow to love God and other people by my actions.
Changes and growth in my life are usually slow and steady. That’s the recipe for lasting change and new habits. It takes a lot of pressure and a lot of time. I must fight my natural tendencies to procrastinate hard things and do what is easy. Pressure forms Christlikeness on the inside that eventually surfaces on the outside. The Holy Spirit who came to change me for the better instigates this pressure. When this inner activity emerges, I do good works and love other people often. I do this for God’s glory because it was Him who began this good thing within me. He gets the credit for anything good that I do.
Over time, I become more patient. I speak with kindness. I fight the urge to be jealous, boastful, or proud. Rude behavior seems more and more foreign to me. I don’t insist on my own way. I let others go first. I’m not easily irritated and angry. I give those negative feelings to God because He is just. I count my blessings, not the negative things that have been done to me. I never give up on my faith in the God who loves me so dearly. I cherish the feeling of hope that He has infused in me, so I might endure through any circumstance.
Yes, over time, I will grow more and more into being able to speak the truth in love with anyone I meet. As the message of the Gospel fills every aspect of my life, I share, counsel, and teach others with the wisdom I have received.
A lot of change happens over much time, but now and then, bursts of sudden glory appear in our lives. Like a meteor strike, good things can grow rapidly. Unfortunately, though, these sudden catalysts of change are brought about by the not-so-good events that sometimes happen in life. Tragedies and things I didn’t expect have a way of bringing about change within me much quicker. Intense problems and times in life can grow my faith, attitude, and actions. So, when troubles show themselves in my life, I try to count them as opportunities to learn something that would normally take years to accomplish.
Whether slow or fast, I allow myself to learn and grow more and more to be like Christ. God began a grand work within me, and He won’t give up until I shine like a diamond. The rewards of growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord are beautiful and eternal.
May the way I live always honor and please the Lord, and may my life produce every kind of good fruit as I grow and learn to know Christ better (Colossians 1:10).
Pray with Me:
Dear Lord, Don’t let me get frustrated when learning the lessons of Your Truth is hard. Help me mine good things from every situation I go through. Let so much good change bubble up within me that it is forced to escape to the surface, where loving others and producing good fruit in my life is the natural result. Help me remember You began this good work within me and You will never leave me until it is completed. And even then, You won’t leave me. For all of eternity, I will be with You. And sometimes it feels like I’ll need that long to be completely rid of all of my selfish and sinful desires that only exist to make me miserable. Thank You for solving that sin problem so long ago on the cross. I just need to keep learning how to apply Your Truth and Ways to my life and thinking. But I trust You will get me to the finish line. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
This is so beautiful 🙏what a great enology of how we are an a diamond in progress with the Lord align in His ways😇
Over time we can conform to press on an love like he loves,,love that I am in His grip,,,an He will never let me go,,,til the end🙏thank you
Love your devotions 🫶
I love this analogy. You are right–changes in our hearts are a lot of work and are usually slow, but hopefully steady.