The heart of becoming more like Christ is not trying hard to do the right thing and saying no to sinful ways. Holiness comes as you fix your eyes on Jesus, behold his glory, and treasure him above all else. When he captivates your heart, you cannot help but be transformed!
You want to change and be like Christ, but how does it happen?
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I’m like you: I so, so want to be like Jesus. I long to change. I don’t want to be the same old Joni that I was yesterday; I want to be different; I want to reflect the Lord more in all that I say and do. Like the Bible says, “I want to be holy as he is holy.” Now, for the longest time, I assumed that meant I should shape up, get my act together, quit doing one thing, start doing another. Come on, Joni, get serious; start living for Jesus like you really mean it; stop the run-of-the-mill Christian lifestyle. There are standards to observe, sins to avoid, and God’s not gonna help you if you don’t start living like you should.
Now, those things “sound” worthy and, yes, there is lots of truth in it. I don’t want to be the same Joni I was yesterday. My heart does long to change and be more like my Savior. And I know you feel the same. But does holiness mean stop doing sinful things and start doing God-honoring things? Well, that’s like putting the cart before the horse. Because 2 Corinthians 3:18 says this: “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” As has been said, we become what we behold.
It’s not a matter of doing just all the right things; it’s a matter of adoring the right person. John Piper says it this way; I love this, he says, “Holiness in us happens only as the Spirit enables us to behold the glory of Christ as supremely beautiful and valuable. Beholding Christ's glory leads to us becoming glorious. The heart of Christian holiness is a heart that sees Christ as a treasure beyond all treasures. We become glorious by beholding Christ's glory. Our transformation happens by means of focusing our gaze on him. He is the origin of our glory not impersonally or mechanically, but only by a face-to-face beholding.”
Wow! That is how we change. It really is all about Jesus. It really does mean thinking through the story of Christ's death and resurrection and everything surrounding it. How Jesus left his glorious heaven and condescended – that is, he bent down; he stooped to become sin for us, enduring the Father’s white-hot wrath while we spit in his face, we did. Even the Father turned his back on him. And I tell you what, when you unpack that – that amazing story – you just got to behold the beauty of Jesus; you got to behold his mercy.
It’s why when the Bible says to think about whatsoever is true, honorable, just, pure, whatever is lovely, commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things – I always think of Jesus when I read that. Jesus, true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable. Friend, we become what we behold, as John Piper says. And when we fix our eyes on Jesus, there’s this wonderful connection between beholding and becoming. We find him so lovely, so glorious, so amazing that he is worth saying no to sinful ways, and yes to his grace. And that’s how you change; it’s how you’re transformed. You know what? I hope you’ll tell your friends about this today. Just go to joniradio.org and hit the share button on today’s program because this stuff’s important. Remember, when you behold Jesus – when he captivates your heart – you cannot help but be transformed. He is ecstasy beyond compare, Jesus is, and there is more than enough beauty in him to behold.
© Joni and Friends