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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?
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