January 4
“…Be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2)
Yesterday, we began to talk about the challenge of change. How it comes down to two basic options… To do the work ourselves, or to have Someone else do the work for us.
The gospel message is centered in the fact that Jesus has done ALL the work necessary to bring lasting change into our lives. And the really good news is that whatever needs to be changed in our lives, has ALREADY been done for us. Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension HAS provided all that we need to be changed.
I don’t think we really grasp how important that fact is to us.
I run into so many Christians who are trying to do all the hard work of changing themselves. OR they adopt a position that God is still doing the work of change in them.
But that is not really the message of Christianity. The message of Christ is that Jesus has already done the work for every change that is needed in our lives.
Our only part (the only thing we need to DO) is to access our change, by our faith IN that work.
The reason that this is so hard for us to grasp is that we are often still thinking by a natural mindset, which says: “Nothing happens without effort. Nothing changes without exceptional will and prevailing force. Nothing is fixed without a tireless process of piecing everything back together.”
That is WHY we need our minds to be renewed. Transformation, according to the gospel, does not happen because of tireless and continual effort – transformation happened all at once, through the One Person Who could bring about instantaneous change.
Look at the life and ministry of Jesus. Was there ever anyone who came to Him who walked away unchanged? He IS the Agent of immediate change.
What is… meets its match in the Great I AM.
So why do we think that our changes will occur over years of work? Because we have always thought that way. It is our way of thinking that must be changed.
And here is the really amazing news… even our way of thinking can be transformed.
This will be our topic for tomorrow…
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