Skip to main content

Open to Change?

"And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."  Ephes. 4:24

I've been known to be a proponent for change.  I enjoy seeing change within the walls of my home and I'm able to make that happen by very frequently rearranging the furniture!  I like the fact that our government allows for change and that we can see new faces in political offices every so many years.  I enjoy seeing our church try new things and implement change in an attempt to draw people to Christ.

What I've realized lately, though, is that my fondness for change is contingent on the amount of change that takes place within a certain amount of time.  I like change, but I like to have the power to determine when enough is enough!  I guess when it boils down to it, I think change is good whenever it is on my terms.

Isn't that the way most of us are whenever it comes to allowing God to enact change in our lives?  We are quick to give Him our heart, but slow to letting Him change things around a little bit so that we more resemble Him.  Change is alright . . . as long as it's happening in someone else's life.  Or perhaps, change is alright in our lives . . . as long as we can be in control of it.

We serve a God who never changes (Heb. 13:8), but that doesn't mean that He isn't the great Changer of our lives.  His desire is to see the kind of change that takes place whenever we give Him full and unlimited access to our lives.

Paul tells the church at Ephesus that change is going to happen whenever a man truly gives his life to God.  When we choose the way of salvation, we're also choosing to yield our lives and spirits to God.  He doesn't seek change for the mere sake of change.  He desires change that would produce fruit for His Kingdom.

Eugene Peterson very plainly expresses in The Message that the change that God is trying to work in each of our lives is in an attempt to "accurately reproduce his character" in us (Ephes. 4:24).  The Great Creator is still in the business of producing and re-creating as He takes our flawed character and makes it more accurately resemble His.
  • Are there areas of your life that you have been hesitant to allow change to take place in?
  • Are you an advocate for change as long as you can be the one controlling it?
  • Has God sought to rid you of some of the moral or character flaws of the "old man" in an attempt to carefully create a "new man" that looks more like Him?
So maybe the word "change" is more like a four-letter word in your vocabulary.  Thankfully, God is not pushy when it comes to enacting change in our lives.  He will lovingly expose the areas that need attention, and then His desire is that we will call on Him to change what He has exposed.  Ultimately, He places the choice in our laps.  Either we desire to become a new creation, or we don't.

Will you allow God to change some things around in your life today?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heartfelt Reflections of a Country Church

The smells, sounds, and people of country churches stir an emotion within me that is deep and powerful. For those who have never had the opportunity to experience this blessed experience, let me explain.   From the moment you step into the vestibule (never called a foyer in a rural church), you instantly smell the footsteps of every person who has crossed that threshold - the mother with a load of kids in tow, the farmer, the truck driver, the wayward child. If those paneled walls could talk, they would tell of grace and guilt and sorrow and joy that couldn’t be hidden on the faces of the souls that dared to cross that doorway. Those walls would write books of clinched fists, tears on the altar, and singing from the saints. The smell of the aged carpet, whose color may have caused an outright quarrel in a business meeting, the creak of the floor, and the golden memorial tags lead you to a nostalgic thing of days gone by - a pew, padded if you’re lucky.   As you wait for the ob...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Most Important Piece of the Puzzle

"Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.""   Luke 23:43 Our family loves finding a good deal at a yard sale.  The closer we get to spring, the more antsy I get for a nice Saturday morning ride through all of the area subdivisions where the best yard sales are generally located.  You can really find some great deals going through people's junk! Some years ago, my kids picked up one of those 500 piece puzzles at a yard sale -- you know, the ones that you typically get halfway done with and then lose interest because it's much more time consuming than you ever imagined!  Anyways, I was actually were impressed by our dedication to see it through. However, I was devastated to discover that only 494 pieces appeared to be in the box.  You can only come to such a precise conclusion by coming to the end of the feat and being able to count the holes that were left in the beautiful picture of a scenic landscape, which no...
Post a Comment
Read more

If and Then

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."  Prov. 3:5-6 Do you remember learning the concept of "If and Then" statements in school?  If you don't remember learning them formally, I'm quite sure you've heard them and even used them many times. These are statements that reveal what is going to happen, based on a prior action.  In my house, they sound something like this: "If you don't clean your room, then I'm taking your iPod away." "If you do well on your schoolwork, then we'll go skating tonight." "If you don't clean your plate, then you can't have any dessert." These "If and Then" statements are true for adults, too.  For instance: "If you perform well at work, then you're likely to get a promotion." "If you make your relationship with your spouse a priorit...
Post a Comment
Read more