Mastodawn

Becoming Like the Son

The Quiet Work of Redemption
As the Day Begins

“Jesus Christ … gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed.” — Titus 2:13–14

There is a quiet but powerful truth that governs the Christian life, and it is this: God is not merely interested in improving us—He is committed to transforming us. The Greek word used in this passage for “redeem” is lytroō, which means to release by paying a ransom. Christ did not simply forgive sin; He purchased freedom from its dominion. Yet redemption is not only about what we are saved from, but what we are being shaped into. The Father’s intention is not partial adjustment but full conformity to His Son. As reminds us in this year’s devotional rhythm, each day is designed to draw us deeper into that likeness.

When we consider Jesus, we see a life wholly surrendered. In John 5:19, Jesus declares, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.” This reflects the Greek concept of mimētēs—an imitator or follower. Christ perfectly mirrored the Father’s will, not as a burden, but as His identity. He did not strive to become obedient; He lived from a place of union with the Father. That is what God desires for us—not a strained effort to behave better, but a transformed heart that naturally reflects Him. Like a branch abiding in the vine, our fruit is the evidence of connection, not the product of human effort.

This challenges how we approach our daily walk. Many believers measure success by outward performance, yet Scripture points us inward to transformation. Romans 8:29 tells us, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” The word “conformed” comes from the Greek symmorphos, meaning to share the same form. This is not imitation at a distance; it is participation in His life. Just as Jesus depended fully on the Father for wisdom, provision, and power, we are invited into that same dependency. The Christian life is not self-sufficiency with spiritual language—it is surrendered reliance.

As we move through this season and reflect on the unexpected Jesus—riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as described in Luke 19:28–44—we are reminded that God’s ways often contradict our expectations. The Hebrew concept of shalom is not merely peace but wholeness and alignment with God’s order. Jesus came not as a conquering king in human terms, but as a servant King who redefined power through sacrifice. To be conformed to Him means we must also embrace that unexpected path—choosing humility over recognition, obedience over control, and surrender over self-direction.

Triune Prayer

Heavenly Father, I come before You with gratitude for Your intentional work in my life. You have not left me to wander aimlessly, but You are shaping me with purpose and care. Teach me to desire what You desire. Align my heart with Your will so that I do not resist the very work You are doing within me. Give me the courage to trust Your process, even when it feels slow or uncomfortable. Let my life reflect Your character in quiet faithfulness today.

Jesus the Son, I thank You for giving Yourself as my redemption. You did not hold back but offered everything so that I might be free. Teach me to walk as You walked, to listen as You listened, and to obey as You obeyed. When I am tempted to rely on my own understanding, draw me back to Your example of complete dependence on the Father. Let my identity be rooted not in what I achieve, but in who I am in You.

Holy Spirit, I invite You to guide me throughout this day. You are the One who forms Christ within me, shaping my thoughts, responses, and desires. Convict me where I drift, strengthen me where I am weak, and remind me of truth when I am uncertain. Help me to recognize Your voice above all others and to respond with willingness. Make me attentive to Your leading so that I may walk in step with You.

Thought for the Day
Choose one moment today—just one—and consciously surrender it to God’s direction. Whether it is a conversation, a decision, or a response, pause and ask: “What would it look like to reflect Christ here?” Then act in obedience.

For further reflection, consider this resource: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/conformed-to-the-image-of-his-son

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Intentional Faith Dec 15

Knots, Threads, and the Promise of Glory

On Second Thought

Advent is the season of waiting, of learning again how to see what God is doing beneath the surface of ordinary days. It trains the Christian heart to look beyond appearances and to trust that God is at work even when fulfillment seems delayed. Few passages speak more gently and more honestly into this posture than Paul’s reflection on resurrection and transformation in 1 Corinthians 15:35–50. Paul is addressing believers who are struggling to imagine how God’s promises could possibly be fulfilled when human weakness, decay, and failure feel so dominant. His answer is not technical speculation but theological reassurance: God’s design is not flawed, incomplete, or improvisational. It is purposeful, patient, and redemptive.

Paul frames the human question plainly: “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” (1 Corinthians 15:35). He responds with the imagery of seeds and bodies, earthly and heavenly forms, emphasizing continuity without sameness. What is sown in weakness is raised in power; what bears decay is transformed into glory. At the heart of his argument is the promise declared in verse 49: “As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” This is not merely a future hope; it is a lens through which the present life is to be understood. The Greek term Paul uses for “image,” eikōn, speaks not only of resemblance but of representation. Humanity reflects something greater than itself, and in Christ, that reflection is being restored.

The simple illustration of a cross-stitch design captures this truth with pastoral clarity. From the front, the pattern is visible and coherent; from the back, it appears tangled and confused. Life, viewed only from the underside of time and limitation, often looks like that reverse side—knots of regret, threads of disappointment, and colors that do not seem to belong together. Yet Scripture insists that God’s vantage point is different. “For we are his workmanship,” Paul writes elsewhere, “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). The word translated “workmanship,” poiēma, suggests a crafted work, not a rushed experiment. God is not surprised by human failure; He weaves instruction and transformation into moments that feel wasted to us.

Advent reminds us that God often does His most decisive work quietly and indirectly. The incarnation itself is proof. Christ did not enter the world fully revealed in glory, but as a child, vulnerable and hidden. The heavenly design was present, but not yet fully visible. In the same way, the knots in our lives—the places where we resisted God, misunderstood His timing, or faltered under pressure—are not discarded by Him. From His perspective, they become points of reinforcement, places where wisdom is learned and humility deepened. The Hebrew idea behind divine craftsmanship echoes this truth. The word yatsar, often translated “to form,” carries the sense of shaping with intention, as a potter works patiently with clay. The vessel’s imperfections are not ignored; they are addressed, reshaped, and incorporated.

Paul’s contrast between the “man of dust” and the “heavenly Man” situates every believer between two realities. We live now with the limitations of Adam—mortality, weakness, and struggle—but we are being conformed to Christ, whose resurrection defines the future of humanity. This transformation is not cosmetic. It is ontological, touching the very nature of who we are becoming. As theologian N. T. Wright has observed, resurrection is not an escape from creation but its renewal. The design God is weaving into our lives is not merely about moral improvement; it is about preparing us to bear Christ’s likeness fully and finally.

This perspective reshapes how we interpret failure. Moments of discouragement are not evidence that God has abandoned His design; they are reminders that the design is still in process. Advent trains believers to live faithfully in this tension—to trust that what God has promised, He will complete. As Paul assures the Philippians, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). The front of the tapestry is coming into view, even if today we mostly see the underside.

On Second Thought

On second thought, the paradox at the heart of this reflection is that the very knots we wish God would erase may be the places where His design is most evident. We often pray for smoothness, clarity, and visible progress, assuming that holiness should look orderly from every angle. Yet Scripture repeatedly suggests that God values faithfulness over polish, formation over appearance. The resurrection promise of 1 Corinthians 15 does not deny the reality of weakness; it redeems it. The life of Christ Himself confirms this pattern. The cross appeared to be the ultimate failure, a tangled end to a hopeful mission. Only in hindsight did the Church understand that what looked like defeat was the central stitch holding redemption together.

This challenges a common spiritual assumption: that growth should feel affirming and coherent as it happens. In truth, much of God’s work in us feels disorienting precisely because it is reshaping our assumptions. From our limited vantage point, we judge progress by comfort and clarity. From God’s vantage point, progress is measured by conformity to Christ. The Advent paradox is that waiting is not wasted time. It is formative time. The knots represent resistance overcome, lessons learned slowly, and grace applied repeatedly. They are not evidence of divine frustration but of divine patience.

Seen this way, Advent becomes more than anticipation of Christ’s coming; it becomes trust in Christ’s craftsmanship. We are not asked to admire the underside of our lives, nor to pretend it is beautiful. We are invited to trust the One who sees the whole design. Bearing the image of the heavenly Man means trusting that what God is weaving now will one day make sense in glory. Until then, faith rests not in what we can see, but in who God has revealed Himself to be.

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Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven Feb 25, 2020

The Christadelphians or Brothers and Sisters in Christ are a community of lovers of God, who follow the teachings of the Nazarene Master Teacher Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

As followers of the Jewish man from Nazareth, we are aware that Jesus him being a Jew, worshipped the God of Israel, and asked to do his followers to do so too. That God of Abraham is a Singular Eternal Spirit Being, no man can see. Jesus did not come to earth to undo the Law of God or the Torah. He came to explain it and to show the Way to God. Therefore, we take the words of Jesus seriously as an indication of how to continue our life on the path laid in front of us by this rabbi, and keep to the Law of God, God and His son their teachings and wishes, instead of keeping to human doctrines.

Jesus preached love for all creatures of God, and that is why we find it necessary not only to show and share that love for the whole of creation (earth, plants, animals and human beings), but also to come up for the weaker ones and to help and defend those in need.

In case you are looking for making your life easier or want to know more about the present and the future and our position in the whole picture or Plan of God, then you are right at our address.

Even when you are not sure about the existence of God, you are welcome to join us at our meetings and Bible Classes. We also provide printed material which you are welcome to read and to question us about. Any time of the day someone shall be willing to help you with your questions or solving your problems.

At our ecclesiae we have meetings for studying and worshipping but also moments of gathering and sharing good time and food. Also, at those events you are very welcome.

In Wintertime, we also provide shelter for the night, in certain towns, for the homeless people. Waifs and strays are also welcome at our food supplies.

But our main occupation in the ecclesia is the provision to glorify God and praise Him with a merger in prayer and Bible reading in the unity of spirit.

For those gatherings, where they may take place (Leuven, Leefdaal-Bertem, Tervuren, Brussels, Nivelles-Nijvel, Mons or Newbury), we invite you to join us and to feel the spirit of our brotherhood.
In Belgium, we are financially very limited and do have no building of our own. We have to rent spaces and also use private houses, making house-church. For that reason it is not possible to offer set days and hours for our meetings. In Newbury, it is different. There our brethren and sisters have their own hall and offer services on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with regular events on different days as well. Never be afraid to contact them or us to have further contact or to know about their and/our activities.

For the Carelinks (like the Antwerp Ecclesia) and Old Paths Christadelphians you shall have to contact them. We as Free Christadelphians are not bounded to any person or organisation and could be considered being part of the more progressive branch of Christadelphianism, having liberated ourselves from all boundaries of this world, only to be bounded to the sent one from God, the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus Christ.

One of us might have a strength in one area and another might be strong in another. We believe that when we can join hands to make ourselves stronger. We are convinced that when we come together in union, we all benefit and are made into the image of Christ.

We believe that all can help each other to grow in the Body of Christ, becoming more like Christ, pure and set apart. Coming together we give each other the opportunity to learn more about the Word of God, by sharing and discussing that set apart or holy Word. Together we can help each individual around us, to become part of a bigger unit, able to be compassionate, gentle, and to have a great capacity for mercy and forgiveness.

When coming to our ecclesia you should not be afraid that people would look at you as a strange intruder, because nobody would. Nobody shall go to point to the faults of yourself or others. Instead, you may find we try to use the strengths the Lord has given us to build up the body of Christ. We all have faults, and we all have gifts, and they are meant to work together. We all go for the same primary goal, to grow in the spirit according to God His Wishes, and to form a strong unit in the Body of Christ. By the influence of our fellowships you and we can have our character transformed.

At our ecclesia or church, we are people who want to share the hope in a better world. To reach that goal we know we have to start by ourselves and our own surroundings. We hope to inspire each other in our community of believers in Only One True God, but also to encourage those outside our community, to work at a relationship with Jesus, because when we seek him and not this world, he will teach us, and we will grow in all good things. A lot of this process is done through our brethren and sisters, who are here also for you!