Acknowledging Him to Transform Us

      Navel gazing or focusing on Jesus, and being changed into His image? Someone once told me, "I have never known anyone who has been helped by looking at their own growth." Even though Paul has said to "examine ourselves", in the context, it refers to seeing if Christ is in us, and the proof of that is if His power is overcoming our weaknessess. With this as our reference, there is no such thing as growth which is ours, but only out of Him being in us. His light (or presence in us) dispels the darkness, casting out everything that is not of Him; thereby is our growth. As we abide in the Vine, new life takes over.
     So, to see our "badness" or "sickness" or need of healing, and to either punish ourselves as a result or even try to make ourselves new, is to not acknowledge the Head, Christ in us. When we are disconnected in this way, there will be no healing, because it is Him that supplies it to us. The way He heals is to "tear down" so that He can "build up." He tears down our old sin nature (crucifies it, as we let Him) and builds us up a New Creation. It is His work, allowed by our will. Apart from Him we can do no good thing. Even so, come Lord Jesus.