6-29-09 A Life of Change

A Life of Change

2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature’ the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

How well do you like the word change? I mean it can be used in many different contexts: change your outfit, change the sheets, change your hair, change the furniture around, change your attitude, change jobs, etc.

I think for me I embrace it in many areas, but there are those few that I just don’t like, especially if it has to do with changing the inner person I am! The thing is, God did not create us to remain the same; He wants us to be in a continual process of changing and more importantly, changing into a reflection of Him.

Pastor Jim Isakson was our guest speaker this past weekend and he said something that stuck with me, “If you are spiritually the same as you were a year ago, something is wrong, you might be sick.” This is a very big statement to digest, but is so true! There are many scriptures that reference God’s promise of change: to give us a new heart, to give us a new spirit, and as 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, to make us a new creation! Once we come into a relationship with Jesus, we are promised a radical change in our lives. Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, beautiful and free from what previously held us down.

This is not an easy process, but a necessary one in our walk so that we might become closer to the Lord and reflect His glory more brilliantly. Start by looking back at where you were spiritually and maybe even physically a year ago. Have you grown? Have you seen blessing and victory in some areas of your life that you never thought possible? If your circumstances haven’t changed much, has your heart and attitude toward them changed?

Change does not always happen quickly and is a constant process. Don’t give up if you desire to change in an area that just hasn’t hatched from the cocoon yet! Thank God for the quick changes and ask Him to strengthen you for the journey through the rest. We will be changing all our lives- until we are home in His glory and perfection, but He is with us every step along the way.

Tomorrow is a new day and you can make a new change. Maybe it is to eat breakfast every day this week and then maybe next week you add to your breakfast a chapter of the bible you haven’t read in a while…..or maybe ever! Maybe you start saying, “I love you” more often to those around you, or maybe you try to actually listen to what your husband or children are saying without interrupting. Whatever it is that you want to see change in your life, start small, start tomorrow, but by all means start it in prayer and START!

On the journey of becoming a beautiful and new creation,
Jenny Loveland