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bigmike

The Work Goes On
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Titus 2:11-14
In 1501, a massive block of marble was brought to a young sculptor named Michelangelo. The stone had been quarried decades earlier, but because it was considered too difficult to work with, other artists had given up on it. For more than forty years it sat abandoned until Michelangelo accepted the challenge. With painstaking care, remarkable skill, and unrelenting persistence, he began to chisel and shape the marble. For nearly three years he labored on what would become one of the most famous sculptures in the world—the statue of David. When it was finally unveiled in 1504, people marveled at how a piece of stone that others had discarded could become such a masterpiece. Michelangelo later explained his process by saying that he simply cut away everything that was not David.
In much the same way, God did not save us just to leave us as we were, but to shape us into the likeness of His Son. Salvation is not only about a new eternal destination, it is also about daily transformation. By His grace and power, He patiently chips away at everything in us that does not reflect Christ. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
This is a lifelong process. No one drifts into Christlikeness. And while it is God’s power that makes transformation possible, He calls us to participate through obedience and surrender: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
The measure of success in God's eyes is found in how much like Jesus we are becoming.
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