Solving the Puzzle

Around the holidays the puzzles always get pulled out for the family to enjoy. Our grandson Crosby just discovered he loves puzzles too. We were getting frustrated last night because the final piece was missing. Just as we were ready to turn out the lights, Crosby steps up to the puzzle and inserts the missing piece. We think the little guy had been holding it the whole time!

Puzzles are a test of our ingenuity. One could imagine God’s will is like a puzzle we can figure out over time by using our own intelligence. That’s not how it works.

Can you imagine how difficult it would be to put a 5000 piece puzzle together without having the box that shows the completed picture? Likewise, it’s hard to know God’s will until we see what the finished product is meant to look like. The good news is God doesn’t want His will to be puzzling to us. He’s made it very clear. He wants us in every way to look like Jesus.

Just as it takes time for the completed puzzle’s image to appear, it takes time for the image of Jesus to appear in us. Unlike a puzzle, it’s not ingenuity that gets the job done. It’s as we fix our eyes on the beauty of Jesus that we begin to look like Him. Paul couldn’t have described the process more clearly when he wrote…

But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil of blindness lies over their (the Jews) heart; but whenever a person turns in repentance and faith to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to even more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:15-18 AMP

Did you catch that? We are progressively transformed into the likeness of Christ as we see and behold His glory.

One of the best and most practical ways to see Christ’s glory is by reading the gospel accounts of His life. I have been making it a point to spend more time reading the gospels than any other book. I need to see Jesus more!

So don’t let God’s will be a puzzlement to you. Read the gospels, ask the Holy Spirit to transform you, and watch what happens. The pieces will start coming together and you’ll look more like Jesus every day. The result will be a masterpiece!

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬