Rebekah
Rejecting Stereotypes -
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

- Day 7 -

We've come to our last day on this topic, so it's appropriate that the final - and the most important - piece of the puzzle is put into place.  We've learned that God is the Original Source, He made us beautifully and His plans for His kingdom include plans for our lives! 

How is this possible? What do I need to do?

These are two questions that come naturally to most of us.  But before we begin our planning, let's take a look at the Master's plan.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrated his own love for us in this:  while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord", and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Ephesians 2:4-10

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us with with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God - not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We have to understand that even though we are made beautifully we are born sinners.  While sin can be beautiful, enticing, lovely to our earthly eyes, it is the sin in our lives that separates us from God - our Creator - who is Holy.  Habakkuk 1:13  (speaking to God) Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;  you cannot tolerate wrong.

The truth - sin is UGLY.  Once we see that, we can recognize the importance of God's son, Jesus, coming to earth to die as a sacrifice to cover our sin.  As we bring our sin to God, as we repent (turn from sin) and accept that there is nothing we can do to deserve God's forgiveness - He FORGIVES!  Now that's a beautiful plan.

A New Creation!

At first, our body and mind remain the same but, the Holy Spirit now lives in us.  Did you catch that?  The HOLY Spirit lives in US.  From ugly to beautiful.  From sinful to holy.  What does this new life look like?

Romans 6:4

We are therefore buried with him (Jesus) through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may have new life.

Being buried with Him means that the things that used to run our lives are no longer important to us.  This is when we reject the stereotypes from our culture.  They no longer have any control over our lives.  We have a new identity in Christ and we can give up our old self.

Ephesians 4:22-24

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Romans 12:1-2

....sisters, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old is gone, the new is here!

Philippians 1:6

And I am certain that God, who began the good work in you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

God offers a new life through Jesus Christ and it is God who continues and completes our transformation into a new creation by the work of His Holy Spirit.  Like the caterpillar who becomes a butterfly, we can be confident that God is - right now, today, this very minute - transforming us "into His likeness with ever-increasing glory" 2 Corinthians 3:18...............BEAUTIFUL!