I Am Being Conformed to Christ

Posted on Jul 13, 2015 Topic : Weekly Devotionals

“Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29).

Before a thrilled Olympic audience in 1976, Dorothy Hamill created a sensation as she skated to victory with her “Hamill camel.” Yet even more amazing was the fashion sensation she created with a haircut known as “the wedge,” later called the “Hamill haircut.” In a matter of days, large numbers of Dorothy Hamill look-alikes took to the ice trying to be duplicates of Dorothy.

Have you ever tried to look like someone else? You bought designer clothes, but they only covered your insecurities. You changed your hairstyle, but that didn’t change your self-doubt. How you tried to conform to that which was popular!

The word conformed can refer to something transitory and changeable, much like Dorothy’s hairstyle—in one year and out the next. However, when God says He predestined you “to be conformed” to Christ, He is not referring to a transitory outer change, but to a transforming inner change. When you are conformed to Christlikeness, you are given the ability to have His character on the inside. This will change your conduct on the outside. You will not be pulled by the popular, pushed by the press, or overpowered by politics. Just as Jesus was not shaped and molded by what was happening around Him, you too can withstand external pressure and influences by allowing the character of Christ to develop within you.

One man whose character was conformed to Christ’s was Olympian Eric Liddell. In the 1924 Olympics in Paris, this Scotsman was Great Britain’s hope for winning the 100-meter race. Then came the shocking announcement: The qualifying heat was to be run on a Sunday.

Unthinkable! Eric believed the Sabbath was God’s day. He resolved, “I’m not running the 100-meter race”—not for Scotland, not for Britain, not even for the gold. Though labeled a traitor, he refused to conform to rules that went against his conscience. Instead, Eric began to train for the 400-meter race.

On the day of the race, Eric approached the starting blocks with determination. His qualifying times had not been spectacular, and his contenders were excellent runners. The gun sounded. He was off like a bullet. Flying through the wind, Eric crossed the finish line and set a new world record, winning five full meters ahead of his nearest competitor. From international jeers to cheers, he has been admired for decades as the one who would not conform to the pressures of this world. Why? Because his very life was conformed to the character of Christ. Seeing yourself through God’s eyes, you are being conformed to the image of God’s plan for your life. You will be amazed with His results!