Isn’t God’s plan of redemption incredible? In Him we enjoy all the advantages of absolute security. As the old hymn says, He is our refuge and our strength. But even so, we must not let it stop there, for the Lord has called us to even greater purpose—wholehearted submission to His will.

Such intentional commitment to Him demands that our life be squarely aimed at two very important targets: to serve Him in whatever capacity He desires, and to embrace spiritual growth through personal transformation. Dedication toward the pursuit of these goals provides the catalyst for bearing “much fruit.” And because these objectives are intended to compliment each other, we can’t be truly effective in one without the other.

Yet personal transformation is the key to serving God with a whole heart, so we must ask a very important question: What does it mean to be transformed? Is this the change that takes place instantaneously when we’re saved? Yes, in one very real sense it is, since being born again results in a dynamic transformation of our life. How could being brought from death to life—from the domain of darkness to being firmly planted in Christ’s kingdom—be anything but utterly transformational? Still, there’s a whole lot more to it than that.