Embracing Change...
Most people who know me, know that I like change. But even I get tired of change from time to time - weary of living in fuzziness and uncertainty, and ready for something consistent and predictable. I want to get comfortable. But then I'm reminded in Scripture once again, that change is at the very core of being a follower of Jesus Christ. In fact, it could be said that if reading the Word of God is not bringing change into our lives, it is not truly being engaged.
"For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done." (Heb 4:12,13)
This is a verse of vulnerability. Without being vulnerable, we will not change. It is also a verse about the power and the presence of God. In Ephes 4:22,23 we are called to spiritual renewal in our thoughts and attitudes by continually "putting off" the old self, and "putting on" the new self, created to be like God... change.
I just finished reading the amazing book that tells the story of Serge LeClerc's life, called "Untwisted". It is a book of profound change that only the power of the word of God and the work of the spirit of God can do in somebody's life. God's change is irreversible, the old is gone and the new has come - it's a transformation into a completely different and new creation.
That is the continual and daily journey of change that God calls us to. Change is a gift to embrace and a promised future to step into. Not only is it on an individual basis, but God also calls the church to the same... but that's a topic for next time.