On Grace and Change

Change. Change is a central element of the human existence. If you are viewing this blog, you have experienced much change since the day of your birth. You learned to walk, talk, feed yourself, and read. Since then, your circumstances have changed too. Most of my readers, I assume, are adults. You've experienced change since living in your parents' home, perhaps have changed jobs a time or two and possibly changed your location more than once. Change comes whether we want it or not.

This afternoon, my 21 year old son moved out of the house to a town about an hour away. My 17 year old plans to enlist in the air force right after graduation next May. The youngest says God has called him to be a pastor. In 2 years, he'll be off to Bible college somewhere. Huge changes are ahead for all 3 of my children and for their mother.

Benjamin Franklin had some wise words in regard to change:

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. 

We all want our children to grow, mature and, yes, change. God wants to see His children  to grow, mature and change too. Change isn't easy, but God gives us grace to change.

When we were saved, we were sanctified which means we were set apart to be holy.

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. -1 Peter 1:16

Holiness doesn't happen instantly, but is a process of change over time.

What kind of change does God desire to see in our lives?

He wants us to have a change of heart, a change of mind and a change of life.


A Change of Heart
God didn't ask us to change our heart attitude; He commanded it.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. -Deuteronomy 6:5

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. -Matthew 6:21

 Our heart needs to be so focused on God that He Himself becomes our treasure, not our position, our possessions or other people; Him alone.


A Change of Mind
The Greek word metanoeo, translated repent in English Bibles literally means a change of mind. When we responded to the gospel, repented of sin and accepted Christ as our Savior, we changed our minds from our thinking to God's. We began to see our sin as He sees it and to see our lives as He does.  Repentance, a change of mind, was never intended to be just a one-time event. We haven't arrived at a state of perfection yet and need to repent more often that we sometimes realize. The epistle to the Romans was written to believers who were admonished to continue this process of a change of mind.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. -Romans 12:2

How do change our minds, aligning our thinking more closely with God's way of thinking? The blessed man of Psalm 1 knew the answer.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (v2)

God's Word is the best and really the only way to know what God thinks. As the Holy
Spirit opens up His Word to us, we will begin to have a change of mind. But that can only happen if we make the choice to be faithful to spend time in the Word.


A Change of Life
Colossians 1:13 says that when we were saved, God "delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."

That was an instantaneous and miraculous change. Just as our hearts and minds need to be in a continual state of change, so does our life.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ... -Philippians 1:27 ESV

Our "manner of life" is every aspect of our lives. From how we treat our family, to the kind of performance we give our employer, to the way we interact with our neighbors and the way in which we do business, everything we do is a representation of Christ and what He has done in our lives. The question is, how well do we represent him? Does our life bring Him glory or do our actions hurt His reputation with those we come into contact with?

Grace to Change

Change is never easy, even if it is a change for the better. But God not only gives us grace for salvation, He also gives us grace to change. No matter how difficult the change, His grace is enough.

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. -2 Cor. 12:9

We don't have the ability to express the fruit of the Spirit and to become more Christ-like on our own. That's why God pours out His grace daily into our lives, giving us the strength to change and to continue the process of sanctification. 

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. -2 Corinthians 3:18

What does that mean to be "changed into the same image"? It means we are being changed to become more and more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Philippians 1:6 is a great promise in regard to change.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

What's that "good work" God began in us? CHANGE!

And, guess what?! He's not done with you yet and He's not done with me yet. Hallelujah! God is, by His grace, still changing our hearts and minds and lives. He is still changing us from one degree of glory to another, making us more like His own dear Son, Jesus Christ and will keep working with us, for us and in us until we get to heaven.

An old children's gospel song reminds us of this promise of God to continue to change us.

Remember, He's still working on you to change you.

He's still working on me...