GRACE FOR THE MOMENT | CHANGED TO HIS LIKENESS

1. Grace for the Moment

a) "Grace for the Moment" is a collection of thoughts that are inspirational. They are intended to encourage, to give hope, and to inspire the viewers.

b) Reading a thought can change the way you think about something.

2. Scripture Verse

i) 1 Corinthians 2:16 Living Bible (TLB)

¹⁶ How could he? For certainly he has never been one to know the Lord’s thoughts, or to discuss them with him, or to move the hands of God by prayer. But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.

3. Thoughts

a) The distance between our hearts and Jesus' heart seems so immense. How could we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus?

b) Ready for a surprise? You already do... If you are in Christ, you already have the heart of Christ. One of the supreme yet unrealized promises of God is simply this: if you have given your life to Jesus, Jesus has given himself to you. He has made your heart His home. It would be hard to say it more succinctly than Paul does: "Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:19-21MSG)...

Galatians 2:19-21 The Message (MSG)

^19-21 What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

c) He has moved in and unpacked His bags and is ready to change you "into his likeness from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:18 RSV).

2 Corinthians 3:18 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

¹⁸ 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.