A Spittin' Image

"He also did predestinate [us] to be conformed to the image of His Son...be not conformed to this world." 

Matthew Henry says, "None can know their election but by their conformity to the image of Christ...it cannot be a temptation to any to be conformed to the world to believe that they were predestined to be conformed to Christ."

Predestination has to do with saved people. God predetermined before hand that His elect be like His Son. He has destined each who name the name of Christ to ultimately bear the moral and spiritual image of the Son of God. As the old timers used to say, "We'll be the spittin' image of Him."

A preacher visiting a mountain man noticed he was whittling on a piece of wood. Trying to get a conversation started, the pastor asked what he was making. The reply was, "An elephant," to which the man of God said, "Wow, that must be difficult!" The old man answered, "Not really, I just cut off everything that don't look like an elephant."

And so it is with us beloved, God is cutting away everything in our lives that does not look like Jesus Christ!