God’s Purpose and Provision

Here is a thought put together by the following verses:

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his
resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his
death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I
have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press
on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and
sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I
do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on
toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:10-14).

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the
Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed
to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and
sisters” (Romans 8:29).

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will
be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him
purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

God’s purpose and provision is for us to be like the Lord
Jesus. Many Christians I know seem to be less like the Lord Jesus than they
were when they were first saved. If this is you, get into the Word and into
prayer. If you would like a Bible reading plan to help, you can find one at
TotheWord.com.