Day 30 "The Permanence of the Butterfly"

How beautiful the butterfly can turn out to be! But as you probably know, they weren't born that way. The butterfly goes through a four stage process: the egg, the larva (the caterpillar), the pupa ( chrysa-lis), and the adult butterfly. After leaving its egg, an insect must grow and undergo a series of physical transformations until reaching adulthood. The transformative process that an insect passes through is called metamorphosis. (Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Amazing! Joyful Butterfly joyfulbutterfly.com ) There is no reversal capability (Why would one ever be needed?) during this process and once completed, the butterfly is never known as a "catepillar with wings." Instead, the butterfly has its own unique identity and purpose all on its own-never to be known, again, by any of its former identities.

As Christians, we, too, have gone through a "somewhat" type of metamorphosis process when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. Unlike the butterfly which goes through four stages, we simply go through two stages: unsaved to saved; lost to found; orphan to family member; separated to reconciled; unholy to holy; unforgiven to forgiven; temporal in nature to eternal in nature; non-heir to co-heir with Christ. To most observing this process, little change physically appears to have taken place, although for some going through this process it is as if the weight of the world have been lifted off their shoulders and their distress and anxiety levels have been transformed into joy and peace. Even though little evidence shows of physical changes (Give it some time!) having occured, from a spiritually perspective, mountains have been moved. This spiritual metamorphosis that takes place is referred to as being "born again." According to Jesus, this process is absolutely needed and required of each of us to undertake in order for our spiritual lives to be made alive again and for us to be restored back into a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d] John 3:1-8

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may

receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

2 Corinthians 5:10

"Therefore, if any is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old had gone, the new

is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father

except through me." John 14:6

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings

salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles."

Romans 1:16

Jesus taught that man must be born again spiritually in order to see things spiritually and to be restored (reconciled) spiritually back into a relationship with God. Jesus died upon the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and make that restoration possible. But if Jesus did that for us, why is it that so many people think that there is another way or other ways to get to God? Certainly our own actions and sinful nature will fall far short of reaching God's perfect standards. The great gospel of grace is that Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Therefore, as simple as it sounds, our only requirement for embracing and accepting what Christ did for us is to receive and believe by faith in what he did for us. Though Christ freely gave himself for our justification, it is still governed by free will and free choice- a God given right to freely choose for ourselves. God doesn't force his salvation and love upon us any more than we would try and force ourselves upon someone we love and try to force them to love us. What value is there in trying to do that?

"for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by

his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented Christ

as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his bl00d-to be received by

faith." Romans 3:23-25

"For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law."

Romans 3:28

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this

grace in which we now stand." Romans 5:1-2

"And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been pour out into our

hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5

"For sin shall no longer by your master, because you are not under the law, but under

grace." Romans 6:14

"So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that

you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we

might bear fruit for God." Romans 7:4

"But now, by dying to once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we

serve in a new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."

Romans 7:6

"For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did

by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he

condemn sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might

be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

Romans 8:3-4

"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and you believe in your heart that God

raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13

"Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone

who believes." Romans 10:4

Once in Christ, our spiritual nature that was dead is now alive and our relationship that was severed with God has now been reconciled. We are to not to live merely as sinners forgiven, but to step into a new identity as children of God, co-heirs with Christ. Our spiritual inheritance has been imparted and guaranteed to us through Christ and Christ' righteousness and holiness has been imputted to us freely by our faith in him. When we invite Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior, we step into a new life and a new identity never to be the old person we once were again.

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"However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no

human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—"

1 Corinthians 2:9

A great cost and sacrifice was expended on our behalf. What will you do with it?

In His joy and love, I will be here tomorrow...