Sinclair B. Ferguson

And when you have done that, commit yourself before God to seeking it.

And this is a principle that we need to keep coming back to.

You see, we're not transformed merely by avoiding the works of the flesh.

We need simultaneously to seek the fruit of the Spirit.

Just trying to get rid of the blemish may actually make it worse.

No more likely to transform me than scratching an itch that I feel is likely to make it go away.

And as you read through Paul's letters, you'll notice that he does this constantly.

We are to put off, but we're also to put on.

And here's a third principle.

we need to realize that the resources for lasting transformation are to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So having named my sinful blemish,

by naming the opposite grace, I should now turn to perhaps particularly the Gospels and read about the Lord Jesus Christ and see how that opposite grace is manifested in his life and pray the simple prayer, Lord God, make me more like my Lord Jesus Christ.

And if we make that prayer without any strings attached,

And if we don't try and second guess how the Lord is going to do it, he surely will do it.

John Newton himself wrote an entire hymn on the way God does this.

It's called Prayer Answered by Crosses.

And if you don't know it, I suggest you do a Google search for it this weekend.

I think you'll find it a great help.

because you can never second guess the ways in which the Heavenly Father means to transform you into the likeness of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But He surely wants to do it.