For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among man brethren. (Romans 8:29, NASB)
Playing golf at the highest level is much more than just grabbing your driver, picking out a good target off the tee, making a good swing, and then going to see what you have left into the green.
Often the best players “play the hole backwards” to develop their strategy. This includes considering the hole location on the green before hitting the tee shot on a par-4 or -5 to determine the best angle or distance to approach the green. This even allows them to recognize on which side they could miss the fairway and still get the ball close to the hole or make an easy par.
This falls right in line with Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. The renowned author and speaker says this habit “is based on imagination—the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes.” He goes on to say that all things are created twice, a mental creation and a physical creation. “The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint.”
Did you know that when God created you, he designed you with an end goal in mind, with a blueprint?
Having been called to Christ means that we were predestined to become conformed to the image of Jesus. When we commit to follow Jesus, it is important to understand that we are called into discipleship of Jesus to learn to become like our great teacher. Jesus said, “But everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). This is the life journey and process that has been set before us—to seek transformation into his likeness.
Many people wrestle with a teaching from the Sermon on the Mount that says, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Often the Greek-to-English translation and our misunderstanding of the context cause us to not take verses like this seriously. Many translations use the word perfect twice, but in context it does not make sense, especially considering two different Greek words are used in the manuscripts. The first is teleioi, which even though it can mean perfect, it is better translated as complete or mature. In the natural sense, teleioi is assigned to adults who have attained their full stature, strength, and mental powers; they have attained their goal (telos). The second word, used to describe God’s character, is teleios. This is the end goal, the completion or perfection for which we are striving.
God already envisions you according to the blueprint he designed and is at work completing you. This is where our active participation comes into play. We have work to do. We must ask for it, seek it out, and knock on the doors that we want God to open in our lives. The gospel is not opposed to effort; it is just opposed to earning. We can do nothing on our own to earn God’s love, grace, and power, but we certainly should strive toward the completion he set out for us. This is exactly what Paul was referring to when he wrote, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).
To reach the goal God has set before you, you must begin with the end in mind, just as he does.
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Josh Nelson
May 15, 2018
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.