Friday, May 12, 2023
The butterfly is one of God’s masterpieces. Every summer my family collects tiny monarch butterfly eggs or caterpillars. We bring them into our home to watch them transform. Once they hatch, the caterpillars are about the size of a grain of rice. But they grow fast, transitioning through different stages until they become a chrysalis. About two weeks later, the pearly green chrysalis becomes transparent, and you can see the orange and black stripes through the skin. Suddenly, there is a crack and a wet, wrinkly butterfly emerges. It still doesn't look like much, but after a couple hours what was once a tiny worm becomes a magnificent butterfly.
The first time I saw this process, I was awestruck. It so clearly demonstrates the rebirth that occurs when we become Christ followers. What most people don’t know is that at every stage of development, the caterpillar goes through a sort of death. Once it has reached a certain size, it has to molt to continue growing. Only after it “dies” to the old stage is it capable of further growth and one step closer to its final transformation. When the caterpillar is fully grown, it hangs itself upside down and dies to its old form. Its old skin literally splits off and falls aside. It is no longer a caterpillar, it is essentially soup. However, over the next two weeks, the soup gradually transforms into wings and a body. Once it is ready to emerge, it breaks out of the old skin and is ready to fly.
This is what our life is like when we turn to Christ. Before we come to trust Jesus, we are dead in our sins. We are slaves to our impulses, and no matter what we do, we cannot live the life we are meant to live. Just like the caterpillar will never fly until it dies to its old form, we too will never be able to conquer our sins on our own strength. Our old nature must die and be remade in Christ.
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
When we submit our lives to Christ, we receive a new nature. Sin no longer has a hold over us. Satan is no longer our master, Jesus is! We can break free from the bonds of sin and become the person we were created to be. There is nothing we can do to earn this. It is a gift. It requires us to trust God at every stage. Through this trust we become new and are finally free.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
Questions:
Have you come to a place where you have given your life to Jesus? Do you realize that once you submit yourself to Jesus, you are no longer a slave to sin? What areas of your life are you trying to fix on your own?
Next Steps:
You are incapable of conquering the sin in your life through your own efforts. Set aside about five minutes of your day to watch the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly. As you watch this, think about how this mirrors the life of a Christian.
Life cycle of a butterfly 4k HD || From eggs to full grown butterflies || Hugs of life ||
Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for coming to earth to free me from the tyranny of sin. Thank you for breaking the chains that keep me in bondage to the sins of my heart and those around me. When I feel like I am not enough, remind me that through you, I have freedom. When I try to take things back into my own hands, help me remember that I can’t do it without you. Thank you for promising me freedom from the sin that enslaves me. Transform me to become more like you. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Philippians 2:13
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.