Daily Word

What is the supreme, heavenly calling that Paul pursues with all his might?

To realize God's eternal predestination concerning him and all men: that we should become the image of His beloved Son.

The miracle and deepest reality of the new birth is that the holy Son of God is born into us as our essential and fundamental life.

But He must be formed in us as our manifest and visible life, and for this to happen we have to go

through a complete metamorphosis so that we are “transformed” into His image “from glory to glory,

by the Spirit of the Lord.”

It is the Holy Spirit who makes Christ alive and real for us and in us through the Word and who carries

out this incredible transformation process in our lives step by step, as far as we allow it.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit calls and draws us to enter our prayer closet and close the door of our mind to everything else that attracts and knocks on our attention, and there “in secret” get to know Christ deeply.

In our prayer closet we are plagued by the torment of a thousand flies: all sorts of thoughts, all the ‘musts’ that begin to buzz in our heads. Learning to decisively take control of our mind and concentrate on the Word and prayer takes time, but here too we receive help from the Holy Spirit.

Step by step we can arrive at a clear and full picture of Christ as the ultimate goal and purpose of our lives so that His character is more and more carved out in us and characterizes everything we do in our daily lives.

The Holy Spirit continually paints this our highest calling before us, putting the same intense zeal in us to pursue this glorious goal, like Paul.

We also need to learn not to dwell on our mistakes and failings. If we immediately confess them and receive forgiveness and cleansing, we can put them behind us and press forward with full force.