SEP 28

Romans 8:29-30
Memorise Romans 8:30
“to be conformed to the image of his Son”

This text before us is often called the golden chain of salvation because it describes the way and purpose of salvation from start to finish. It starts with God’s choice (foreknowledge and predestination) to save whomsoever He wills and ends with the believer’s glorification at the second coming of Christ.

From eternity past God foreknew who would be saved. One commentator puts it this way. “This is His divine ability to know what is going to happen before it happens – because He intends to make it happen.” Those who are chosen, God predestined them to be adopted as His sons and for God’s glory. In other words, God chose them as He has a special plan for them. Predestination is God’s conscious choice to save one even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5). The call is what happens in the life of the believer, whereby he believes and is justified. Throughout the believer’s life, his purpose is then to fulfil God’s will for him, that he will be conformed to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The word ‘conformed’ has this idea of being moulded and shaped into the form of another. This describes the sanctification process of the believer, whereby after he is saved, he is to become more and more like Christ each day. It is a gradual process, that will one day culminate in the glorification of the saints, where at Christ’s second coming, we will be given a perfect sinless immortal body, just like what Jesus received after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:51-58). Knowing all these things, our lives should therefore be one seeking after holiness rather than pursuing our earthly ambitions. God, our heavenly Father’s ultimate goal is not for us to be more prosperous, successful or influential. He wants us to have the priorities of Christ, the heart of Christ and He wants us to love Him like Jesus did.

Dear teen, do you now know what is the purpose of your life? The purpose is not to pursue your own dreams on earth – to enter the best college, to study in the world’s renowned universities and win academic honours. These things are not what God saved you for! It is not that God will never give these to His children, but they must come because it is God’s will and not your own. Above all we must strive to become more and more like Christ each day, having Him as our perfect example. In so doing, others may see Christ through us, and we can become more effective witnesses and testimonies for Him. Dear teen, is this your sincere desire?

Thought: Am I becoming more and more Christ-like each day?
Prayer: Father in heaven, may I be single minded in living for You, seeking Your Kingdom and Your righteousness before all things.