After writing one of these shop talks, a friend commented that God sometimes uses pressure to accomplish his purpose in our lives. What I see in scripture is that God is always pressuring us. Let me explain. Over the years, I have heard much about God’s purpose for our lives, but I hear little about God’s goal for us. We are obsessed with trying to figure out what we are supposed to do (purpose) but we think little about where God is taking us (goal).
So, what is God’s goal for us?
Romans 8:28 is a verse with which many of us are familiar. It reads:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
But do you know Romans 8:29? This is where God explains where he is taking us. It reads:
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…
Don’t get lost in the foreordination or predestination language and focus on the phrase “conformed to the image.” Conformed means to have the same form. Have you ever played with clay or playdough? If so, do you remember forcing it into a mold to create a quick sculpture? Well, that is the idea here. God uses pressure to conform (squish) us into the mold of his Son.
My natural reaction to being squished is to resist. I don’t like being forced to change. But that’s me living in my flesh. Paul gave me a different perspective on this pressure.
Look in Roman 5:1-5.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Paul sets the stage by reminding us of how much we celebrate when we think about the peace we have with God and that we have been introduced to the King at court and now have access to Him through Christ. We rejoice in the confident expectation of seeing God in His glory.
In the same way we celebrate the day we enter into the presence of the King of all, we should celebrate pressure. Now the New American Standard uses the word tribulation but actually the Greek uses the word thlipsis (θλῖψις,n \{thlip'-sis}). Thlipsis is really more of a place than a thing. Thlipsis is the space between the grinding wheel and the grinding stone. The thing that creates the space between these two is what is being squeezed. That’s thlipsis. That’s pressure. That’s how God molds us into the image of his son.
Now we don’t celebrate the pressure because we are under pressure. That’s silly. We celebrate because God is moving us toward His goal. Let me share with you the Knowltonian translation of Romas 5:3-4.
We celebrate the pressure God puts on us because God gives us the ability to stand under the pressure (perseverance). The ability to stand under the pressure forms a tested character. A character that is strong, founded under the weight of the grinding stone. This kind of character gives us confidence. (Hope is confident expectation.) There is no wishy-washy, spineless philosophy in this character. It is strong in its assurance of God because God has put His Spirit in us. That Spirit is love. (Love is acting in another’s best interest.)
Therefore, I will confidently act in God’s best intertest because I know He will always support me in whatever pressure He uses to conform me to the image of his Son.
I believe God is far more interested in who we are than what we do. God, using pressure, is changing who we are and that in turn will change what we do.
Comments