Denominations and Abominations Chotebhai, Page 26

Mrs. Jeny Joy, Sinai Mar Thoma Church, North London

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV).

If you go to any good bookstore, you will find a section called “self-improvement”. Here, you’ll find all kinds of books describing various principles and methods you can follow to improve yourself. In all these books, the focus is on you using your will power and self-discipline to apply the principles to improve yourself.

But God does not want you focusing on yourself. That’s self-occupation, which can only take you so far, with results that last only as long as your willpower lasts. God has a higher way. He wants you to be Christ-occupied.

Look at what happened to a fisherman called Peter, who was one of Jesus’ disciples, in Mathew 14:22-33. The greatest miracle that Peter experienced happened one night when he stepped out of his boat in the middle of the storm at Jesus’ word. That night, the winds were boisterous, but as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he did the impossible- he walked on water! When you keep your focus on Jesus, you are transformed into His image from glory to glory. You are transformed by beholding, not by working. When you see that Jesus is above the storms of your life, you will effortlessly rise above those storms. No amount of self-effort could have helped Peter walk on water. Now, observe what happened the moment Peter turned his eyes away from Jesus, and started to look at the wind and the waves around him. In that instance, Peter became natural and he began to sink. Now, let’s imagine that there was no storm, no howling winds, and no crashing waves that night. Let’s imagine that it was a perfectly calm evening and the Sea of Galilee was as still as a mirror without a single ripple on its surface. Could Peter have walked on water then? Of course not! Walking on water is not something anyone can do whether or not the water is calm. The wind and waves made no difference to Peter’s ability to walk on the water. The best thing Peter could have done was to keep his eyes on Jesus and not look at the distractions. In the same way, instead of looking at how insurmountable your circumstances and challenges are, turn away from them and keep your eyes on Jesus. It is the most powerful thing you can do, and Jesus will cause you to reign over every storm in your life!

Many think they must do more to be holy, accepted and loved by God. The truth is, when you behold Jesus more and see His agape love for you, His forgiveness, His abundant grace and His gift of righteousness purchased for you with His own blood, you will be transformed supernaturally. Holiness is a by-product of seeing Jesus in His grace.

When you see Jesus and receive His love and grace every day, your heart is transformed inwardly. This is real change that is sustained by a heart touched by His grace and by an emancipated conscience that is forever freed from guilt. This is when that fear begins to dissolve in His perfect love, and that condemnation arising from past mistakes is cleansed by His precious blood. This is when that addiction begins to drop from your life.

Good things happen to you when you look to Jesus and behold His glory. The woman who had a bleeding condition for 12 years received her healing when she looked to Jesus. Even blind Bartimaeus received his sight when he ‘looked’ to Jesus by crying out to Him.

What does it mean to “behold Jesus” today?

My friend, the way you behold Jesus’ glory today is to see Him in the scriptures. He is there in the stories, in the prophecies, in the parables, in the laws, in the rituals and even in the temple design. When you find Him, the scriptures come alive. When you see Him, you see His glory. When you read the Bible, see His beauty, His majesty, His compassion and His grace. The living Word, Jesus, is unveiled in the written word, the Bible. As you keep beholding and meditating on His glory, the Holy spirit inside you goes to work in you. He will transform you into the very same image of Christ. You will be changed from glory to glory, experiencing true and lasting inward transformation!

Mrs. Jeny Joy is bron and borught up in Bahrain. She has a Bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy. She and her family now live in London; she is a member of the Sinai MTC church, where she is the head teacher of the Sunday school and the South Zone Sunday school Coordinator. She is very active in all aspects of the parish life, including preaching.