“Our transformation in Christ is not complete until it spills over into love and sacrificial giving for the sake of others.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 27, 2022
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. Ephesians 4:28, RSV
Transformation lies at the heart of our life with Christ. We once walked in darkness, yet the light shines into our hearts, revealing the way we should go and empowering us to walk in that way. Repentance then, is not simply a change in belief or thought but is a turning, a redirecting of one’s life away from sin and death and toward the life of God’s kingdom.
In Ephesians 4, St. Paul offers a picture of this holistic transformation that comes from a lived encounter with Jesus Christ. Take a thief, for example. In most of our minds, a thief who never steals again is an all-out success story! And yet, for Paul, that is only the beginning of this changed life. Yes, a thief should no longer steal, however the end of evil should simultaneously be the beginning of transformed living! Step 1: “Let the thief no longer steal.” Step 2: “But rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands.” For the thief, hands that were once used for selfish gain are healed and made new in the process of redemptive and honest work.
Lastly, this transformation is not complete until the redemptive work spills over into love and sacrificial giving for the sake of others. This is the third step: honest work “so that he may be able to give to those in need.” One’s work can be honest yet lacking in love if their labor is only to meet their own selfish wants and desires. A truly transformed life knows that their life is not their own and that love for Christ demands an unwavering love for neighbor.
What does this three-step transformation look like in your own life? Are there areas of sinful thought, word, or deed that you need to bring in line with the ways of Christ? Further, how can once evil actions or thoughts be restored through redemptive labor, engaging in an active and intentional healing? And finally, how can this healing be made whole as you give your life away for others in and through the love of Jesus?
Prayer
Father, work your transforming love in and through my life so that I can be healed, restored, and turned in love toward others, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Are there ways that your transformation in Christ has been cut short, living perhaps only at step 1 or step 2 of this process?
Related Reading
Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23
Worship Resource
Amanda Cook: Fall Afresh
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