Transformers

Are you familiar with the world of Transformers? It was very popular these last ten years. The movie version will be showing soon and it is now being promoted as the next blockbuster movie of 2007. Children are so impressed with this robotic world on TV where Autobots can transform into land vehicles while the Decepticons can transform into flying war machines. Another version of the show has the robots transforming into dinosaurs, bugs, and other different kinds of animals. But no matter how impressed we are with the creativity of the artists and producers behind this cartoon show, this kind of transformation is nothing compared to the kind of transformation we Christians experience with Christ.

What makes the Christian transformation so special is that we cannot do this on our own power. The Autobots at least knew they had to transform in order to survive. We did not even know we had to change in the first place. The whole process is in God’s hands, not ours. Think about it. Jesus had the chance to surround Himself with the best and the brightest the world has to offer. And yet He chose you and me. This is not only impressive, it is humbling. How then should we respond? With infinite gratitude and thankfulness that should be reflected in our daily lives.

When Jesus started His ministry, He could have chosen the most energetic, the most dedicated and those with the most teachable hearts. A quick peek into the hearts of all the people would have revealed those with natural gifts for preaching, teaching, evangelisms, missions and so on. And yet look at the men and women who surrounded Jesus in the New Testament. They lacked understanding. They kept missing the point. They were always failing. Even during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, they left Him. (Hardly what we would expect in a ministry team.) And yet Jesus chose them. Why would Jesus choose these “failures”? Because He loved them and His love transformed these “failures” into people God used mightily. We too are being transformed – to be more Christ-like, not because of anything we did, but because He loves us. We are transformed by Love – the infinite love of Christ.

Another aspect of this transformation is that it is continuously ongoing as long as we live. This is good news! We just keep getting better and better. As long as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we can bear the real fruit of the Spirit and be real-life Transformers that God wants us to be.