Bible Study: Changes we would never expect

Romans 15:16
Acts 9:1-16

Whatever the young man Saul planned to become when he grew up, I'm fairly certain he did not expect to be a traveling evangelist for Christ. God's plan for him was different from his own. The Lord caught him by surprise when the time was right and changed his future forever.
.
We're always making plans for our futures, aren't we? A certain amount of planning is wise; I don't believe God wants us to use His propensity to change things up on us as an excuse to avoid commitments. Yet He sees many things which we do not and adjusts our course in life in ways we would never expect. Two years ago at a June retreat He spoke to both my husband and myself about being open to a radical change in our lives. He didn't tell us what that radical change was. Missionaries? Adoption? An entirely new career? A big move? A new service? We said yes individually and together, then waited to hear further instructions. Neither of us expected the change to be two babies arriving the next two years, preventing us from attending that retreat again. What will the next step be? Only the Lord knows so far. He will reveal it, I know, when the time is right, and give us the grace we need to carry out His will. [I'm willing if it's Your will, Lord, but please don't be offended when I say I hope it's not a third baby next June! Not that I don't appreciate the gifts You've given...] Maybe a larger house; a few years of simply raising our children; some new or deeper friendships.
.
It's often much easier to appreciate the changes the Lord makes in retrospect. Paul never seemed to regret the change in his life course. He speaks of his role as apostle with full ownership of his mission, not with any nostalgia for the time when he was known as Saul. Perhaps you notice that in your own life as you look back at the things that have taken place instead of what might have been if the Lord had left you to your own resources. Acknowledging and thanking Him for those positive changes can make it easier to welcome any new paths He leads you on in the future. At least, it helps me when I face changes I'm not sure I'm prepared for.

Bible Study: Source of strength

Romans 15:14
Acts 2:1-4

3yr old Reese learning to work WITH her father
and accomplishing more than she could have on her own

Some days I don't feel very competent. I don't feel competent enough to call myself a Christian, let alone instruct others, including (especially?) my children. Full of goodness? Filled with knowledge? Sadly, these are often not the case. The key to my competency or lack thereof lies securely in who I am depending on. If I am my own source of strength, I will fail in every area of my life, but especially in my ability to love others. The limit to what I am capable of is MUCH lower when I depend upon myself. Only when I rely upon the Lord can I fulfill His commandments. Only then can I give more than I have, for He is the one providing all that I need.
.
All too often I insist on doing it all myself, like a toddler intent on learning a new skill. Unfortunately, my determination produces about the same results as that toddler, not helping me become perfect like the Lord wants me to be (Mt 5:48). I need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, who will enable me to accomplish all that God asks of me.
.
Linked with Works for Me Wednesday

Easter 2014: Pentecost

Acts 2:1-4

image credit

A few people in the Old Testament were blessed with the presence of the Holy Spirit (1 Sam 16:13), but none of them received Him in quite the same way, in quite the same numbers, or showed any ability to suddenly speak in foreign languages. There is a distinct difference in the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost from every previous encounter with the third Person of the Trinity. Every person in the room received the Holy Spirit, they were able to perform miracles that no one had been able to do, and they were able to pass the gift of the Spirit on to others.
.
Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit because they would need Him in order to accomplish the work ahead of them. They needed His grace, His gifts, and His guidance in order to fulfill their mission. We also need the Holy Spirit to accomplish our mission. Just as we need the Lord to eliminate sin and attain heaven, we need the Lord to live out our daily life as Christians. He has not abandoned us (Mt 28:20). Our mission may not be identical to that of the original disciples (the Church is already established and most non-Christians today have encountered the story of Jesus in some way or another) but we very much still need the Holy Spirit to live out the life of Christ and to share the wonderful reality of salvation with others.

Easter 2014: Ascension

Acts 1:3-11

image credit

What now? Jesus has risen! And He has returned triumphant to heaven, leaving His disciples on earth. As the descendants of the descendants of the descendants of the original apostles, we have never had the opportunity to see and touch the Messiah as we would another human being. We cannot eat with Him, listen to His human voice, touch the nail marks in His hands and feet. But we interact with Him in a new way, able to speak with Him at any time and in any place, not limited by physical distance.
.
Jesus' resurrection is not the end; it is the beginning! In our church and family we continue our celebration for a full 50 days. We fasted for 40 so now we feast for 50. We know that our time on earth is filled with difficulty. We face challenges far more difficult than the voluntary fasting of Lent. We encounter persecution as violent in its own way as that faced by the first Christians. But we know that the Easter celebration in heaven will be far longer and more rewarding than our time of suffering on earth. We know that Jesus has returned to heaven to welcome us home when the time comes. We know that even death will not prevail over us, that it will be only the beginning, that we will rise again in Christ!
.
We are His witnesses here on earth, to the ends of the earth. He is with us, ready to hear and respond to our every prayer. So we share Him with others and we know that despite the challenges we face we will receive His help and we will one day rejoin Him for a great celebration which will far outweigh every sorrow we go through, lasting far longer than the troubles we endure.

Lent 2014: Simon Peter

Luke 5:1-11

image credit

After first meeting Jesus through his brother, Simon went back to fishing. He had met the Messiah, but he had an occupation, a home, a family. Did Jesus specifically choose that spot on the Sea of Galilee because he knew Simon and Andrew docked their boats there? They certainly were not doing so well with their occupation that day. Simon and all his partners had worked hard all night and received nothing for their labors. When he saw how thoroughly capable Jesus was of bringing a miraculous abundance out of an impossible situation, Simon Peter immediately acknowledged Christ's power and his own insufficiency before Him.
.
Simon Peter made three acts of faith in this passage: 1) He took out his boat and net into the lake because Jesus told him to even though he had no expectant faith that any fish would be caught. 2) He acknowledged the greatness of the Lord and his own sinfulness. He saw the miracle, recognized it for what it was, and admitted his unworthiness to join the mission. He didn't reject Jesus in asking Him to leave; rather he openly expressed that being asked to join would be an honor bestowed upon him, not one he had earned in some way. 3) He left everything, including the tremendously large catch they had just made, to follow Jesus.
.
When the Lord asks you to take a step of faith, how do you respond? Are you willing to cast out your net when there is no reason to expect it to catch anything, simply because you are asked to do so?
.
Do you realize what an undeserved honor it is to be invited to join Christ in His mission? Do you acknowledge your sinfulness, understand your unworthiness, recognize that His invitation is made out of love, not because of something you have done?
.
Will you follow the Lord Jesus wherever He leads you? Through nights with no place to lay your head (Mt 8:20), through days of hunger (Mt 12:1), through wrongful accusations (Acts 12:5), until death, even incredibly painful and humiliating death (Jn 21:18)?
.
Don't stick with subsistence fishing when the Lord calls you to another path. Follow Him as Peter did; the rewards are well worth every challenge you will face along the way.
.
Linked with Works for Me Wednesday

Bible Study: Differences in beliefs

Romans 14:16
Acts 7:51-60

image credit

The peace of Christ is NOT the same as the peace of this world. We do not shy away from conflict when we know we are following the Lord God in our beliefs and our actions. We use discernment, helped by the Holy Spirit, to know when to speak up as Stephen did and when to hold back out of love. By the Lord's wisdom we choose when to avoid an issue altogether and when to address it head on.
.
There are certain things I have definite opinions on. I don't generally cling to a particular perspective "just because"; I have reasons for my beliefs. As such I am confidently able to defend them. But I need to always keep in mind which belief is foundational, which is important as a load-bearing wall, which is a curtain wall, and which is simply paint that can be changed fairly easily. Foundational beliefs are worth dying for. Load-bearing beliefs are worth discussing and defending with broader audiences, and possibly dying for, although I might not make them central to a relationship. I can recognize that someone can be an excellent Christian, built on the same foundation, even with different central beliefs, and I can choose whether it's the right relationship or the right time/place to discuss those differences or not. Curtain walls are those beliefs I am pretty confident about for my own life but I don't think everyone will have the same number or arrangement of rooms. If you press me I am ready with my explanation, ready to convince you that you might consider rearranging your house in the same style, but I'm not likely to bring up the subject as I recognize that not every Christian is called to the same lifestyle. Paint on the walls are the opinions I am ready to change if the evidence is convincing enough.
.
Why such a lengthy explanation of the differences? If we think all our beliefs are equal to each other, we will squabble over every issue or will lose our faith altogether in the effort to get along with one another. Knowing the comparative importance helps us discern which ones are a matter of choice or depend on our specific call in the Lord and which we hold onto more tightly. We come to realize that some are important yet other Christians who hold different beliefs are still very clearly following the Savior--and so we can set them aside, as important as they are, for the times that we are together rather than fighting and disparaging one another's beliefs in an effort to convince one another.

Don't eat that!

Romans 14:2
Acts 6:1-4

image credit

It would be very easy to dismiss this verse as not applicable to my life since what I should or should not eat every day is not a matter of faith for me. Granted, there is the matter of meat on Fridays, and whether that's every week or only during Lent. But the better part of wisdom lies in recognizing that I can apply the same principle to other areas of my life.
.
The Lord prepares a different path for each individual, and each path comes with its own set of convictions. Someone called to reach out and minister to prostitutes isn't likely to feel convicted to the same level of modesty as someone living in the heart of Amish country. One needs to show God's love to those who have lost all sense of modesty (and much more) without distancing herself so far from them that they cannot identify with her. The other needs to show God's love to neighbors with an extremely high level of modesty and will probably be able to do so better if she is at least wearing skirts or dresses every day. They should both dress modestly, but what that means to each will be very different. Neither should fault the other for her dress since both are striving to live according to the Lord's will in their lives.
.
What are you eating? What are you wearing? Where do your children attend school? How do you spend your free time? How often do you have guests over? How much do you invest in domestic activities? Do you work outside the home? Which private devotions do you focus on? All these questions and so many more will depend on the path laid out for you by the Lord. Try to be faithful to His call and all that entails for you, rather than becoming distracted by the choices of others you know, since their path is different. When challenged to change a particular area, pray first about whether that change fits with the Lord's will for you and whether that change will help or hinder you in following Him. Don't dismiss it out of hand, since it very well might be wise advice that the Lord wants you to follow. But also don't assume that just because one Christian is avoiding something, then you should also avoid it.

Submitting to the secular government

Romans 13:2

Acts 5:27-33

image credit

As much as there are occasions to resist authority and to choose persecution rather than obedience, that should not be our default position toward governments. The apostles explicitly communicated to the Sanhedrin that they would not respect their authority when it conflicted with God's. Many Christians in Rome accepted martyrdom rather than obey the laws of the Roman government. Yet here Paul is specifically telling them to obey the secular authorities as an act of obedience to God. An act of disobedience is more powerful when it is unusual. When an individual is known for complying regardless of whether they agree with the law or not, then others are more likely to pay attention when that person defies a law and to ask whether that law is unreasonable.
.
There are innumerable laws in this country which I would love to see changed. Most I disagree with philosophically: I think they're too invasive or an excuse to over tax the people or simply ridiculous. Others I vote against, petition against, pray against, but don't outright defy only because I don't have an opportunity. They don't apply to me (e.g. I'm not seeking an abortion so I can't defy the laws allowing abortion by carrying to birth instead) so I can't disobey them but I can work within the law and within my prayer life to see them overturned. Yet I'm still subjecting myself to the governmental authorities in my opposition to the laws or my obedience to the ones I disagree with but are not matters of faith. That compliance to the secular government will hopefully stand out to people if I am ever in the position of obeying God rather than man and experiencing persecution for my choice.

Our lack of understanding

Romans 11:33
Acts 1:6-9

Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
Why did He have to leave us before the Holy Spirit could come?
Why do we have to experience death before we can rejoin Him?
Why does God allow so many natural disasters plague us in this life?
.
As much as there is a theological answer to each of these questions, they still trouble us in our lack of understanding God. His wisdom and knowledge, His judgments and paths, exceed our own to such a great degree that we still struggle after receiving the simplified response. We cannot hope to fully understand God, nor should we try (to fully understand Him, that is), but rather we should strive to trust Him. Since He sees and understands the reality of our lives so much more clearly than we do, we can follow His lead even though we don't see the path were He is guiding us.

Closed doors

Romans 11:13
Acts 9:10-16

image credit

What jobs has the Lord given you which you are tempted to neglect? I know some people who are serving the Lord in incredible ways, ways in which I would love to serve Him also. Yet God has very clearly closed the door to my offer of service in those particular areas. He has allowed and invited me to give of myself in other ways, but not in those particular services. I could spend my time regretting the lost opportunities and envying those who are serving Him in those ways, or I could support them in whatever way open to me while exerting myself to honor my King as much as possible in the ministries He has given to me.
.
Paul really wanted to see his fellow Jews know the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. Yet God sent him out to the Gentiles. Despite the many times that he approached the Jews to deliver his message, his effectiveness was really measured by the conversion of the non-Jews to Christ. Other Christians were called to the service of reaching out to the Jews; Paul's service was to the Gentiles.
.
What ministries has the Lord called you to? What ministries do you wish He had called you to? Don't waste all your time regretting the closed doors; simply say a prayer for those who are serving in those ways which you would like to (but can't) and move forward in the services God has invited you to participate in.

Path made open to all

Romans 11:11

Acts 13:44-48

I read recently the suggestion in a book that the vast majority of people alive today, if we could trace our ancestry back that far, had an ancestor participating in the events of Holy Week leading to Jesus' crucifixion. The point was being made that we are all responsible (Mt 27:25) for His death, many without even knowing it by the vast number of descendants those Jews present at the crucifixion must have today, and all of us by
our personal acts of sin. Regardless of whether there is the tiniest drop of Jewish blood in me, I am truly a Gentile for I don't know of any Jewish ancestry and I don't live according to the Jewish Law. So without that reassurance of being a member of God's chosen people, I am thankful that the doors have been opened for us Gentiles to also become members of His family. I hope that many Jews throughout the centuries have indeed been motivated by the salvation of the Gentiles to restore their relationship with the Lord. There is certainly room for all of us in God's kingdom. Yet I am glad that the way has been opened so that I am not excluded despite my known Gentile history.

Lent: Choosing to suffer with grace

There is an ancient Christian tradition of joining our sufferings and sacrifices--voluntary or not--to the main sacrifice of Christ. To explore this a bit more in the Bible, read Colossians 1:24 and Acts 5:41. We choose to accept the trials we experience as God's will, thank Him in the midst of the suffering, and even acknowledge the difficulty we experience as being itself a kind of blessing. In my experience this attitude doesn't lessen the pain, but it gives it purpose, meaning, a sweetness that could not be imagined otherwise.
.
When the trial I'm experiencing is not one I've chosen, I usually begin by complaining. Why this trial? Why this timing? Why do I have to be the one to suffer it? It generally takes a couple minutes hours days for me to remember to join my sacrifice to Christ. The Lord is so good to me--He gives me trials that last a week or more so I reach that point of remembering how I ought to respond to each difficulty I face. To be honest, sometimes it takes me several months. Yet once my spirit recalls its purpose it becomes manageable to turn off the complains and choose to rejoice. I can then seek out reasons to thank the Lord. I praise Him for His wisdom. I thank Him for all the terrible trials He has not given to me. I pray earnestly for people who are given those unwanted trials and for others experiencing the same sufferings I am. Yes, I am still suffering. But now my trial has a purpose and my compassion has grown for those who experience something worse than me. And that makes the sacrifice much easier to bear.
.
During Lent many Christians actively choose to make sacrifices to God. Often these sacrifices come with unexpected trials. Why would we choose to make any sacrifice we didn't have to? Why would we continue with that sacrifice when it brings about difficulties we didn't anticipate? Why would we initiate any suffering beyond what we are already experiencing in life? Just one small answer to these questions lies in the opportunity, the gift, the blessing, of joining our suffering with the sacrifice of Christ and experiencing His grace to transform it into a treasure we will cherish forever.
.
Linked with Fellowship Fridays

Value of treasure increased by jealousy

Romans 10:19

Deuteronomy 32:18-21

Acts 13:46-48

The clip-on earrings sat neglected on the couch for nearly an hour before one of my daughters spotted them and decided to put them on. Her sister immediately protested, claiming they belonged to her and she wanted to wear them, NOW. As long as they were available, she was happily playing with her stickers. But as soon as someone else showed interest in the earrings they became a hot commodity which she may or may not want to use herself but certainly did not want enjoyed by another person. (I sent both girls to bed half an hour early that night, which was about 2-3 hours later than I would have liked to...)

God pursued a relationship with the Israelites over thousands of generations. He offered them every blessing imaginable, asked comparatively little of them, sent prophets and leaders to speak to them, and forgave them for every wrongdoing when they repented of their sins. Yet still they rejected Him. They broke their commitments, ignored the prophets, and killed His Son. And yet they were incensed that God might offer such a close relationship to anyone else. They didn't want it; they should have known that the gift they rejected would eventually be given to another group of people. Like the neglected toy, unwanted by the original owner, it gained great value when another showed desire in it. Hopefully for some Israelites that interest shown increased the value of the relationship with God and caused them to renew their faith in Him.

Laundry and Meal Prep

Romans 9:33
Acts 4:8-12

What a blessed problem to have: more
laundry than will fit in the dresser drawers

My life is filled with trivialities. My family doesn't object: although most of my time is spent on things that will wither and fade (Is 40:8), they rather appreciate the meals prepared and the home cleaned. They would be rather put out if I gave up those activities in favor of full-time prayer and meditation. But it's good to question occasionally whether my activities are balanced so I am also spending my time on the things that will last and whether I am distracted in those activities from living them out in a way that honors the Lord. Yes, I may spend a lot of time on laundry, which will not last a week let alone an eternity. But am I also spending time in the Presence of the Lord? Am I also reading Scripture on a regular basis? Do I fold that laundry out of Christ-like love for my family? Or have I made the activity itself more important than the people that activity is meant to serve and love?
.
When we build our lives on the Rock of Christ (Mt 7:24), even the trivial activities can help us become more like Him. All people will eventually have an encounter with Him; but we can choose to make Him the Cornerstone of our lives or allow ourselves to be destroyed by Who He Is. We can reject Him, refusing to allow Him to be Lord of our lives, stumbling over Him and being broken (Mt 21:44). Or we can center our lives on Him, allowing Him to transform our everyday trivial activities and to replace some of them with activities that will last for all time.

Not a Jew

Romans 9:24
Acts 11:11-18

Photo Credit

A very distant relative compiled a record of our family tree about 30-40 years ago. The copy I saw was incredibly interesting but there's a fuzzy line in it between historical fact and wishful thinking. It's not entirely clear where the two meet; probably the accounts of ancestors arriving in the New World as early colonists are accurate. But as the record continues backward to Charlemagne and from him to Joseph of Arimathea, I rather doubt the relative's ability to separate what he knew from what he wanted to know. I have no idea how he gained access to historical records to trace our roots back to the colonists and perhaps a little while beyond, but I seriously doubt his ability to trace them any further back. While I may be descended from Israel according to that particular record (how does he know that Joseph of Arimathea was a descendant of King David?), and may in fact be a descendant through an ancestor lost in the darkness of unrecorded history, the reality is that I am truly and completely a Gentile.
.
I am very grateful that salvation has been opened up to everyone, not confined to those descended from Abraham by blood. I am very grateful to be baptized by water and by Holy Spirit, not left out in the darkness because I was created in the wrong womb. I am very grateful to be one of the people of God along with descendants of Abraham.

Lies Are Easy To Tell

Romans 9:1
Acts 5:1-5

It amazes me how easily truth can be twisted into a lie. Whether a "little white lie", a manipulation, an omission of truth, a misunderstanding, or a direct and purposeful deception, we find excuses to lie to others, to God, to ourselves. Yet lies never are encouraged by God nor are they ever successful against Him. He will see through every deception and make the truth visible to everyone (Lk 12:2). A lie may seem successful for a time, yet it will cause us difficulties in discerning right from wrong in other areas of our life, confuse us as we try to keep the story consistent, make it challenging to trust others (maybe they're lying also?), and make it difficult for others to trust us in the future. Yet what amazes me is how difficult it is to be truly honest in this world. Even though I try to always tell the truth I find misunderstandings popping up ("Oh, that's what you were asking? What I told you was wrong because I thought you meant something else."), and omissions of truth ("no, I won't tell you what I bought you for your birthday; you just have to wait"). Because these things happen that aren't really lies and aren't really wrong but still smudge the line between honesty and deception, I need to work that much harder at protecting the truth whenever possible. I need to protect the difference between an acceptable omission of truth and an unacceptable one (someone's looking for an item; I know where it is but choose not to tell even when they ask me). I need to guard against the temptation to lie to myself ("that's not really so bad, it's not really sinful..."). I want to speak and act in such a way that I can call on God as my witness and He can confirm the truth of my words and deeds. I want to live in a manner that is upright and honest, with no lies staining my conscience.
.
Linked with Christian Mommy Blogger

Joy Today

Romans 8:37

Luke 10:17-21

Christianity isn't just for "someday" in heaven. The joy and the victory and the love are for today! If we walk about seeing only the struggles and the attacks and the trials in our lives, we've missed a huge portion of the gift of God. The early Christians had so much joy that they even rejoiced in their sufferings (Acts 5:41). God didn't set us up with standards we could never hope to achieve (Mt 5:48), promising a someday-reward, and giving us none of the tools we need to gain the hope offered to us. He has rather handed the victory to us out of His tremendous love for us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us along the way (Jn 14:16). While heaven is our hope, life is good today when we recognize all the blessings bestowed on us by the Lord God. We can live happily in the now while knowing that tomorrow and forever will be even better.

Hearing God's Voice

Romans 8:30
Act 10:1-6

If God is guiding our decisions, calling, justifying, and glorifying us, how do we hear His voice to follow the path He wants us to follow? I recently was asked by a friend how she is to know what God wants her to do in a very difficult situation. She's struggling and wants to follow God's leadership, knowing that He truly does see what's best for her and can guide her better than any human, but not really knowing how to hear His voice. I listened to her and prayed for her but I couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear. In this particular case, she is coming to God out of her need. While it's good to come to God whatever the circumstances are, she's had plenty of opportunity recently and been advised by several friends recently that she needs to come to God every day, not only in desperation. Now that she needs to hear God's voice she doesn't know how to because she hasn't been practicing that skill day in and day out throughout the last several months and years. I'm sure God will still help and guide her, but it will be more difficult because she won't have the reassurance of recognizing clearly which guidance is from Him and which is not.
.
The best, most reliable way I know of to hear God's voice, His guidance for our lives, is to pray every day. Some prayers may be more ideal than others (inasmuch as they're more complete: praise, thanksgiving, repentance, supplication, meditation, as opposed to a 30-second "God, please help me!" and nothing more). But any prayer is a good beginning and can grow into much more. Each and every prayer is an interaction with God. Each and every one helps our relationship with Him grow. Each and every one helps us recognize His voice when He does speak to guide our decisions. If you want to know how to hear His wisdom in difficult situations, then foster a relationship with Him during ordinary life. Pray day in and day out. Practice listening to Him when life is easy. It can still be difficult to recognize His guidance when we encounter challenges, but not nearly as difficult as not knowing what His voice sounds like at all.

Inheriting from the Eternal God

Romans 8:17

Acts 10:44-48

I've always thought of an heir as receiving all the benefits of that position when the benefactor passes away. As heirs of an eternal God, we wouldn't receive much: He will never die so we would be waiting forever. But if I had a great deal of wealth--enough to give a hefty inheritance--I would want it to go to people I loved and organizations I thought important during my lifetime as well as afterward. I wouldn't want to watch them struggle along with practically nothing while reassuring them that if they survived longer than me, they would receive more than enough to thrive. Being an heir of the Creator of the universe isn't just for when He dies. He gives to us today. He gives us grace; He gives us salvation; He gives us Himself. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, each and every day of our lives, is an amazing benefit of being the heir of God. I'm so glad not to wait forever for this portion of my inheritance.

Needing the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:16
Acts 1:4-8

Can anyone be a really good Christian without the Holy Spirit? I grew up and continue to live in a charismatic environment, where the role of the Holy Spirit in our Christian walk is emphasized. But even if you never pray in tongues, never hear a prophesy, never attend a charismatic prayer meeting, can you continue to live the Christian life day in and day out without the aid of the promised Helper? I've come across people who think "charismatic" and by extension the Holy Spirit are centered around a bunch of externals: praying in tongues, prophesy, praying out loud, and the like. But much, much more important to me is the internal influence of the Holy Spirit. Christianity is dead if we're not growing in the love, joy, peace, etc. described as fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:22-23. If we are to be witnesses to the world we need the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to be transformed by God to become like our Father and I don't know any way that can happen without the aid of the Holy Spirit, day in and day out, actively working in our lives.