Until Christ is Formed in You
Scripture – Galatians 4:17-20: 17Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. 18It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 19My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Reflection: – Mixed motives! That’s an issue for us all. Rarely do I do the right things from totally pure motives.
As Paul writes here, “it is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good.” So what’s important to begin with is that I choose to work for a good purpose. For example, if I’m raising money for a church project or other charity, even if it turns into a competition where I’m trying to come out ahead of other people, it’s still in the context of a good purpose.
That then frees me to pursue the deeper goal: that Christ is formed in me. I let His presence in me grow and fill me and transform me. The goal is that one day my will becomes totally caught up in His will. At this point, I experience flashes of that. There are short bursts where I am one with Christ in motive and action. Those are powerful times. I’ve got a long way yet to go. Maybe I’ll never get there this side of heaven. But that doesn’t keep me from moving forward.
What motivates you when you are doing good? How is Christ being formed in you today?
