God is in the ‘Change’ business – are you?

I wonder how you view change.  Perhaps you think of it in terms of circumstances that you need to handle, to cope with.  Maybe you imagine that change is something that needs to be applied to other people with whom you struggle, or to those who are not yet Christians and need to respond to the gospel message.  Perhaps your answer to this question is that, yes, you certainly are in the change business because you are engaged in some form of Christian ministry.  But what about yourself – are you committed to allowing God to continue to change you, personally?

Conformity?

We may consider that the change that God seeks is about conformity to some standard, or maybe compliance with a particular behavioural pattern.  If this is the case, then this might not be something that you welcome, and maybe you should not.  However, God isn’t seeking either conformity or compliance.  He wants us to change in ways that will benefit us, and also to become those whose lives glorify him.  The change that God seeks is not primarily behavioural, but rather a life that is surrendered to him – in reality, not in name alone.

Maintainance

As a driver, I need to maintain my vehicle; if I don’t do so, then it will be liable to fail me.  A poorly maintained car won’t work optimally; it may use more fuel, the engine might not run smoothly, and parts may fail unnecessarily, entailing avoidable expense.  If I don’t clean the bodywork or interior, then driving will be less pleasurable.  Manufacturers give clear instructions about how the vehicle they have engineered and built should be maintained and operated.  If we fail to follow these guidelines, then any warranty may become void, and we are unlikely to get the maximum benefit from our purchase.  With a new vehicle, everything should be in perfect working order from the beginning until such time as the owner deviates from the recommended maintenance regime.  The first thing I have done after purchasing a used car has been to check that everything was as it should be – fluid levels, tyre pressures, etc.  I have also given the car a thorough clean throughout.  My objective has been for my new car to be at its best, so that I can get the most enjoyment from the investment made.  But in doing this, I also check if there is anything that needs mechanical attention; something that has been neglected or inadequately maintained.

New owner

When we become Christians and submit our lives to the Living God, we are like a used car with a new owner.  We have a past, one where Jesus has not been Lord.  There will have been maintenance failures and inappropriate handling as well.  Most of us recognise that this is our situation, and we are open to God refining us – not simply cleansing us from our sin, but also changing us and bringing us into line with his will and purpose for our lives.  We commit ourselves to the process of sanctification under the hand of a loving heavenly Father.

Finished?

Let me ask you a personal question.  Do you believe that there will ever be a time when God has completed his work in you? 

This is a genuine question, and I hope that you have thought seriously before responding.  We could all reply “No” because we appreciate that that is the expected answer.  But if our response is a true recognition of our need to change, then that begs a question for us to ask of ourselves: “Am I willing for God to highlight things in me that are not honouring to him, and am I then willing for him to change me?”  

An elderly Christian man I knew many years ago once shocked me.  He recognised that there were issues in his life, but declared that he wasn’t prepared to do anything about them – he actually referred to them as demons, but it wasn’t clear whether he meant spiritual entities or emotional challenges.  Sometimes people have demons, of whichever type, that they are just familiar with and are unwilling to dislodge or disrupt.  Either way, to accept these without seeking release is not honouring to God, who surely wants to free us to be all that we can be – for ourselves as well as for him.

Modes

Our latest car is also our first electric one.  Being automatic, it has just three modes of operation that can be selected: Drive, Neutral and Reverse.  Our spiritual lives are similar.  ‘Drive’ is the active one, designed to take us forward, whatever forward may look like, and will do so in accordance with how far down we depress the accelerator pedal.  Unlike ‘Neutral’, which is passive and disengaged, or reverse, which surely doesn’t need explanation.  There is also ‘Park’, of course, which equates to being deliberately disengaged, standing still with no intention of moving: going nowhere.  The one thing that is different between the vehicle and our spiritual lives is that with the latter, anything other than ‘Drive’ is a retrograde step.  When we say “No” to God, we tend to slide backwards rather than stand still.  This reminds me of a saying that isn’t biblical but has great truth: ‘Only a moving object can be guided’.  You can’t steer a car that is standing still.  This saying is usually applied to seeking guidance, but surely we need the direction of the Holy Spirit at all times, not only when we feel perplexed about which way to turn.  When we resist God in one area of our lives, this impacts all the others as well.  In Galatians 6:7,8, we read the words: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap…… “  If we close the door on becoming all that he intends us to be, then the door might remain closed until we are willing to open it once again and invite him in.  But we can be sure that he will be outside awaiting our change of heart (Revelation 3:20).

Engagement

We need to engage ‘Drive’, asking God to direct us as we live out each day, but also to go about his business in our lives so that he can help us to change.  Surely, if we truly love God, then we want him to have his way in us, and to become everything that he intends us to be: released from those things that bind us, free to express who we truly are, living in tune with the intention of our loving heavenly father for our lives.  This is the inheritance of the saints; those who have been called out from the world to be the people of God.  See Ephesians 1:17-19 and Colossians 1:12-14