Change Our Vile Bodies

Phil 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

I was praying earlier in the night and had been reading Matthew 6 thinking about what I should write for this week's post and had a few things on my heart. There was one that I was really meditating on and I am sure at some point I will write on it, it was concerning the thread that goes throughout all of Chapter 6 which essentially boils down to our focus. However as I was praying and thinking on that subject my thoughts began to take a different turn and God began to reveal and show me a few things that kind of rocked my World and I would like to take the time to give them to you.

This probably won't be a very long post, but one thing that God has pointed out to me recently is that something doesn't have to be long to be powerful. If we look at almost every sermon recorded in the Bible by the Apostles, all of them are rather short. If we spoke those words, the preaching would probably be less than 10 min, more like less than 5, however what do we find happens in those short 5-10 min preachings? The Power of God came down and thousands of people were saved, towns were turned upside down, powers were destroyed. It's not length or eloquence it's the Power of God that matters.

What God spoke to me came with His Power and I am praying that the same Power and Spirit I received this revelation with is shared and felt by whomever you are reading or hearing this now.

Many times when I start a post it comes from reading a verse and then giving what God expounded in my heart concerning it. However the verse I used to lead the post this time came after God spoke to my heart, but is definitely the best verse that sums up what He was saying to me. The verse is about how God will change our vile bodies and make them like unto His perfect and glorious body. It is that idea of changing something that is considered either terrible or at best plain into something amazing that God has put on my heart to write and talk about. It is the idea of transformation.

I plan to write significantly more on my other Blog On The Potter's Wheel in the future about the issues I have struggled with my whole life, but to have a better understanding of what God has shown me, I feel that I must reveal some aspects of them quickly here. I have come to understand by God's Grace that much if not all of my life I have been completely and utterly wrecked by Shame. It has literally affected every aspect of my life and every relationship I have ever had. This Shame brought on in part by my childhood and parents, has caused me to feel like I am completely worthless, that I am no good, that I am not loveable, that I never measure up, that I am a failure, that I am vile.

Not only do I have the feeling but I know for certain that I am not alone in these feelings of Shame and the effects it has on me. Shame is something we all have in common, and like I said I plan to write much more in detail about Shame and my journey to understand it and what God has been fully showing and pressing on me to do in order to overcome it. So with this continually on my heart and mind as I was praying God brought to mind something I had heard long ago.

In the Bible in Luke 19 a man named Zacchaeus who was a short man and thus climbed a Sycamore Tree so that he could see Jesus. Jesus takes note of him in the tree and says that He will go to his house. There of course is much to be seen, spoken of and learned from that incident however the thing that I was reminded of was that God knew ahead of time that Zacchaeus would need a tree to see Jesus and so God planted that Tree. Again much could be said of that as well, but then God directed my heart to another Tree that He had planted and grew and used. That was the Tree that became the Cross in which Christ was Crucified on.

As I started to really think about that my Spirit began to be stirred within me, thinking that God planted a seed in dirt, caused it to grow from a sapling to a full grown tree that was then cut down by a craftsman who shaped that tree into the Cross that would carry the Son of God in His Death. That is mind blowing to me. Then God laid something else on my heart.

God took this Tree that was nothing, then by man was shaped into a Cross to be used in one of the most brutal forms of execution known to man Crucifixion. This Tree, its shape and its use was until 33 AD a symbol of criminals, a symbol of hatred, a symbol of death. But then Jesus Christ came!!!

God thru Christ changed everything about that Tree, everything about that shape and everything about the idea of Crucifixion. Because Christ touched it that Tree went from being of no use or value, to being corrupted by men for the use of hate and death, to becoming the Tree in which held the Son of God as He took the penalty for my Sins so that I can have Eternal Life!!

God thru Christ changed everything about that shape, a shape that once was a symbol of hate and death has now become THE symbol of Love and Eternal Life. The idea of Crucifixion that was thought to be for criminals and punishment has become the idea for the most Perfect and Innocent Person in History to give to us all Mercy and Grace!!!

God took all of this and started to focus it on the place I have been struggling to overcome the most, which I think we all share in and that is my Shame and He said to me, just think if someone could actually possess that piece of wood that was made into the Cross Christ died upon, what do you think it would be worth? Contemplating that I have no doubt that it would be the most valuable piece of wood in existence. It would be worth more than the Greatest Yacht a billionaire could buy, it would be worth more than any mountain retreat cabin the greatest movie star could purchase, it would be worth more than any Cathedral from Ancient Times and why?

Because that piece of wood had the Blood of Christ on it!!! That is why!!! It is the Blood of Christ that took a nothing and worthless piece of wood that was then designed by man for death and changed it into the most valuable piece of wood in existence and symbol of Life Mercy and Grace!!!

I may feel that I am worthless and of no value, I may feel like I am of no use, I know I was corrupted by Sin, having a vile body, just as that Tree was corrupted by man into what it was to be used for, however I know that because the Blood of Christ was applied to my heart by Faith thru Grace in Him, Jesus has changed me, Jesus has transformed me and made me invaluable!!! Christ has taken that Shame and changed it to His Glory just as He took the Shame of the Cross and made it a Symbol of Love and Eternal Life, for His Glory!!!

If you are Lost today and you feel as though you are worthless, that you are unloveable, if you feel that Shame tying you down, then come to Christ, let Him put His Blood on you and transform and change you into a vessel of His Grace!!! God wants to set you free from your Sins, and from your Shame, all that is needed is for you to believe in Faith in His Life, Death and Resurrection, to apply the Blood that was spilled for the forgiveness of your Sins upon the Cross to your heart and you will be Born Again, forgiven and completely transformed!!! If you are Saved but are like me, struggling with the enemy of Shame, take to heart that Christ was able to transform a worthless piece of wood created for Death into the most valuable piece of wood in History by His Blood and He is doing the same for you!!!

God revealing this to me truly stirred me up, gave me perspective, made me praise, thank and worship Him even more, and I hope it has done the same for you!!!

I love you all, have a great day and blessed day in the Lord!

If you need prayer or anything else please feel free to reach out to me and I will help you the best I can and if I can't help I know one man that can, this man named Jesus!

Disciples

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Peoples

Living

Existence

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.