Transformed MenSample

Formed or Deformed?

Full confession:

I’m a bit of a technology geek.

I enjoy staying updated on the latest trends. When my daughter recently ordered a 3D printer, I was naturally intrigued.

This was a whole different ballgame than my old inkjet. A 3D printer builds three-dimensional objects from a digital model by layering material until a perfectly formed, useful object—crafted by its creator—is complete.

Our Creator has a plan for our lives designed to shape us into something complete, useful, and glorifying to Him.

Every man is shaped by something. For some, it’s careers, culture, beliefs, expectations, or fears. For others, it’s past failures, old habits, hidden wounds, or the desire for approval.

Whether we realize it or not, life constantly shapes us into a mold—but who does the mold resemble?

Are we being formed by Christ or deformed by “the world, the flesh, and the devil”?

In Romans 8:29*, Paul reminds us that God’s plan is not just to save us but to conform us into the image of His Son. The Greek word refers to being shaped into the same form. In other words, God doesn’t want to make a better version of yourself; He is shaping you to be more like Jesus.

We call this process “spiritual formation.”

Spiritual formation is similar to the layering process of 3D printing in the ongoing journey of becoming more like Christ. Dallas Willard said that “...spiritual formation is precisely formation in this life and of this life from above. The gospel of the kingdom opens us to progressive transformation in this life.”[1]

When a man chooses to follow Jesus, he is instantly and fully adopted as His son, but an ongoing process of sanctification shapes our lives daily into the image of the Son.

As men, we often try to “fix” ourselves or muscle our way through challenges. But spiritual formation begins with surrender. It isn’t about trying harder but cooperating with the Spirit’s work to make us like Christ. Strength, purity, courage, humility, and obedience to Christ are not just admirable, healthy masculine traits—they are qualities God is actively shaping into your life.

This week, we will explore spiritual formation through the lens of Jesus’ Great Commandment (Mark 12:28-34). God’s goal for you is not perfection or performance, but transformation. He is shaping your heart, soul, mind, strength, and relationships to look more like Jesus.

Prayer: Father, thank You for creating me to be conformed to the image of Your Son. Shape me into the Christ-like man You’ve called me to be. Amen.

Reflection: What is shaping you the most right now: Christ or culture? Which areas of your life need a fresh surrender to God’s loving purposes? Share with a trusted brother an area where you desire to be more like Christ.

[1] Dallas Willard, “The Gospel of the Kingdom and Spiritual Formation,” in The Kingdom Life: A Practical Theology of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation, ed. Alan Andrews (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2010), 46.

* Unless otherwise noted, all biblical references will be from the New International Version (NIV).