TRANSFORMATION IN CHRIST

“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” (Romans 12:2 Phillips)

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 3:18 ESV)

I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us. 

-- Anne Lamott  

#6390

ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS

Jesus said to the two walking on the road to Emmaus, “‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself."  (Luke 24:25-27 NIV)

Well, what do you know, [the resurrected] Christ conducted a Bible class. He led the Emmaus bound duo through an Old Testament survey course, from the writings of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy) into the messages of Isaiah, Amos, and the others. He turned the Emmaus trail into a biblical timeline, pausing to describe… the Red Sea rumbling?... Jericho tumbling?... King David stumbling? Of special import to Jesus was what the Scriptures said “concerning Himself.” His face watermarks more Old Testament stories than you might imagine. Jesus is Noah, saving humanity from disaster; Abraham, the father of a new nation; Isaac, placed on the altar by his father; Joseph, sold for a bag of silver; Moses, calling slaves to freedom; Joshua, pointing out the promised land.

Jesus took them through the writing of “Moses and all the prophets.” Can you imagine Christ quoting Old Testament Scripture? Did Isaiah 53 sound this way: "I was wounded and crushed for your sins. I was beaten that you might have peace" (v. 5)? Or Isaiah 28: "I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem. It is firm, a tested precious cornerstone that is safe to build on" (v. 16)? Did He pause and give the Emmaus students a wink, saying, "I'm the stone Isaiah described"? We don't know His words, but we know their impact. The two disciples felt "our hearts burning within us while He talked" (Luke 24:32 NIV). 

-- Adapted from Max Lucado in “Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear”  

#6100

WITH ALL YOUR HEART

“The most important [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:29-31 NIV)

Sometimes our minds interfere with our hearts.  Logical objections get in the way of compassionate actions.  It’s not my responsibility.  I’m certainly not suggesting that you shouldn’t count the cost.  You should.  But if God is speaking to your heart, don’t let your mind get in the way of what God wants you to do.  Sometimes loving God with all your heart simply means listening to your heart instead of your head.

What does it mean to love God with all our hearts?

It means our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God.  It means we have identified the God-ordained passion that makes us glad, sad, or mad.  It means inaction is not an option, because the compassion of Christ is the driving motivation of our lives.

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#6051

THE INNKEEPER’S RESPONSE

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."  (Luke 2:7 NKJV)

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's easy to become like the innkeeper in Bethlehem. When Mary and Joseph sought a place for the birth of Jesus, the innkeeper wasn't hostile or unkind; he was simply overwhelmed and preoccupied. His inn was full, his hands were busy, and his mind was occupied with the demands of his day. This is a reflection of how many of us respond to Christ today. Our hearts and minds are crowded with various interests and responsibilities, leaving little room for the Savior.

The story of the innkeeper is a poignant reminder of the importance of making room for Jesus in our lives. It's not that we are opposed to Him or reject Him outright; rather, we are often too busy or preoccupied to give Him the place He deserves. This preoccupation can lead us to believe that we can manage just fine without a deep, personal relationship with Christ.

A touching illustration of this comes from one church's annual Christmas pageant. A small boy, playing the role of the innkeeper, was supposed to turn Mary and Joseph away. However, moved by compassion, he deviated from the script and said, "There’s no room in the inn,… but you can come over to my house." This child's innocent gesture speaks volumes about the openness and hospitality that we should extend to Jesus.

Today, Christ is often turned away from many places and hearts. He is not always welcomed into our lives. But have you invited Him into your home, into your heart? Is the busyness of life crowding Him out? Is sin blocking the door? Are you afraid of what others might think?

As we reflect on these questions, let us remember that Jesus desires to dwell within us. He wants to be a part of our daily lives, guiding us, comforting us, and transforming us. In reflecting on the innkeeper’s response, let's make a conscious effort to clear out the clutter and make room for Christ. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources

#6017

MORE REVOLUTIONARY THAN THE REVOLUTIONARIES

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 NIV)

Though sympathizing with the revolutionaries' analysis of what was wrong with society and in fact being mistaken for a revolutionary Himself by the political authorities of His day, nevertheless Jesus did not advocate a new political regime to be established by force through revolutionary action.  He called for the love of our enemies, not their destruction; ... for readiness to suffer instead of using force; for forgiveness instead of hate and revenge.  One might even say that Jesus was more revolutionary than the revolutionaries, or revolutionary in a very different way.  The revolution He had in mind was a radical change of heart on the part of mankind, involving conversion away from selfishness and toward the willing service of God and of people in general. 

-- Clark H. Pinnock (1937-2010) in “Reason Enough” 

#5993

A WHOLE NEW STRUCTURE

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB)

If our view of ourselves is anything less than being a word spoken forth by God, then our self image is a self-constructed façade -- a crust of self…

I have come to realize that the primary work of God's grace in our lives is to liberate us from this destructive bondage to the crust of self in order to shape us into wholeness.  God is seeking to create in us a whole new structure of habits, attitudes, and perceptions, of dynamics of personal and corporate relationships, of patterns of reaction and response to the world.

This new structure is one of increasing Christ-likeness.  God is seeking to break the crust. 

-- M. Robert Mulholland Jr. in “Shaped by the Word”

#5939

FOLLOWING CHRIST

To find and follow Christ and to serve Him -- that is fruitful living…

When Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), He was not speaking arrogantly, egotistically, or narrow-mindedly. He was expressing a genuine desire to turn us, to redirect us away from things that do not satisfy and toward the things that cause us to come alive. The time given to us on this earth is infinitesimally small compared to time itself, and so He desires for us to live it richly… He invites us. He wants us to flourish.

To be a follower of Jesus is to take this path, to step by step grow into the life that really is life. God through Christ reveals the way, invites us along, and walks with us. Following Christ will change you; and through you, God will change the world. 

-- Robert Schnase in “Five Practices of Fruitful Living”

A NEW HEART

In his book “A Man After His Own Heart,” Charles Siebert shares a scientific yet poetic depiction of a heart transplant he observed at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.  Not long after, Siebert attended an annual banquet for transplant recipients, and he was deeply moved by their profound appreciation for life.  They spoke in reverent tones about the second chance at life they had been given.  They humbly acknowledged their responsibility to honor the donors.  And many of them talked about new desires that accompanied their new hearts.

Siebert concluded -- and his research is backed up by numerous medical studies -- that transplant recipients don’t just receive a new heart.  Along with that new heart, they receive whole new sensory responses, cravings, and habits. Siebert called this group of heart recipients “the tribe of the transplanted.”

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

A life may be filled with lots of amazing moments, but nothing even begins to compare with that miraculous moment when you give your heart to Christ.  That single decision sets off a spiritual chain reaction with infinite implications.  A new child is adopted into the family of God.  A new name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  And an old heart is exchanged for a new heart.

When you give your heart to Christ, Christ gives His heart to you.  And you become a part of the tribe of the transplanted.  That new heart gives you a new appreciation for life.  You humbly acknowledge your responsibility to honor the donor.  And the cellular memories that come with that transplanted heart give you whole new sensory responses, cravings, and habits.  You literally feel different.  Why?  Because you feel what Christ feels.  And chief among those sanctified emotions is compassion.  Your heart begins to break for the things that break the heart of God.  And that is the heart of what it means to love God with all your heart. 

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

#5538

RETURNING TO THE RIGHT PATH

“Jesus went into Galilee, where He preached God’s Good News. ‘The time promised by God has come at last!’ Jesus announced. ‘The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!’”  (Mark 1:14b-15 NLT)

In the Greek New Testament, the word for repentance is metanoia (and several other related words. It means “to change one’s mind and one’s heart, leading to a change in behavior.” If sin is stepping off the path God intends, repentance is returning to the right path. True repentance is not simply feeling bad about what you did and asking for forgiveness, although those steps are essential as well. You’ve also got to commit to change. 

-- Adam Hamilton in “Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go”

#5403

A CHANGE OF MIND AND HEART

“Jesus replied [to Nicodemus], ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’”  (John 3:3 NIV)

We believe in conversion.  But what is it?  It is the most basic transformation in life.  It is a revolution at the heart of one's being.  It is the new birth.  It is not a natural growth but a supernatural rebirth.

For selfish persons, conversion means a basic change in the center of their commitment.  Self is dethroned; Christ is enthroned.  For those who measure success and failure in dollars and cents, the new birth means the reign of Christ and of His standards.  For those who put their highest trust in political organizations and in the might of arms, conversion means seeing in Christ the only hope of the world.  To those who are crippled by failure and despair, conversion means absolute trust in the healing ministry of the conquering Savior.  In short, we are born of the Spirit when Christ becomes the master impulse of our life.  And we enter into this new life at the moment when we take all that we know about ourselves and lay it trustfully before all that we know about Christ.

Conversion or the new birth, then, is a basic change of mind and heart.

-- Bishop Mack Stokes in “Major United Methodist Beliefs,”  published by Abingdon  Press, Nashville, TN.   Used with permission.


#4794

WINSOME AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV)

What our culture needs these days is a vibrant, plausible, winsome Christianity. Intellectual and philosophical arguments are important and good, but they cannot stand alone. They must come from lives of people who have evidentially been changed for the better by the God they profess. Do we love people enough, we must ask, to showcase -- by how we talk, how we do business, how we do politics, and how we treat people -- something of the goodness, justice, loyalty, beauty, and love of our true home? Why does Christ get such bad press in our day -- or why does He often get no press at all? Could it be, at least in part, because we are not the winsome ambassadors we should be? 

-- Charles D. Drew in “A Public Faith”


#4429

LETTING OUR LIVES DECLARE THE TRUTH

Preaching is not the only way we declare the Gospel of Christ. Our lives also should be witnesses to others of the reality of Christ. Those who have affected me most profoundly in my life have not necessarily been great or eloquent preachers, but men and women of God whose lives were marked by holiness and Christ-likeness. The Gospel must be communicated not only by our lips but by our lives. This is a visual proof that the message we preach actually can change lives.

Our world today is looking for men and women with integrity, for communicators who back up their ministry with their lives. Our preaching emerges out of what we are.

-- Billy Graham in “The Faithful Christian: An Anthology of Billy Graham”


#4428

ALIVE AND ACTIVE

“For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.

-- John Stott in “Authentic Christianity”

#4388

HEARTBROKEN AVAILABILITY

"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.”  (Jeremiah 31:33 NIV)

I once heard a wise priest say, in a meditation on gratitude, that we should be especially grateful for whatever breaks our hearts. Reflecting on God's promise to write "upon" our hearts rather than "within" them, he suggested that our own hearts are so hard that all God can do is write upon the surface. It is only when our hearts break, that they break open: then the word of God can enter deeply, like a seed in a harrowed field.

-- Deborah Smith Douglas in “Wounded and Healed”

#4365

THE LIFE OF THE HEART

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.”  (Matthew 23:27 NIV)

Above all else, the Christian life is a love affair of the heart. It cannot be lived primarily as a set of principles or ethics. It cannot be managed with steps and programs. It cannot be lived exclusively as a moral code leading to righteousness…

The truth of the Gospel is intended to free us to love God and others with our whole heart. When we ignore this heart aspect of our faith and try to live out our religion solely as correct doctrine or ethics, our passion is crippled, or perverted, and the divorce of our soul from the heart purposes of God toward us is deepened.

The religious technocrats of Jesus’ day confronted Him with what they believed were the standards of a life pleasing to God. The external life, they argued, the life of ought and duty and service, was what mattered. “You’re dead wrong,” Jesus said. “In fact, you’re just plain dead [whitewashed tombs]. What God cares about is the inner life, the life of the heart.” (Matthew 23:25-28) Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the life of the heart is clearly God’s central concern…

Our heart is the key to the Christian life.

-- Brent Curtis and John Eldredge in “The Sacred Romance”

#4301

A LIFESTYLE OF REPENTANCE

My college roommate, Steve, was neat. Not just neat in the sense of a lot of fun but neat in the sense of not sloppy. I on the other hand, tend to be sloppy. Why make up a bed you’re going to sleep in that night? Steve was very gracious. Little by little he helped me change. I learned the purpose of hangers. The reason for toothpaste lids. Our four years of rooming together were four years of regular repentance. Then he turned me over to [my wife] Denalyn and she’s still working on me.

The same thing happens to Christians. As Christ moves in and takes up residence in one’s life, the Christian sees how sloppy he is. Over time, his language changes. His habits change. He lives a lifestyle of repentance. The longer we hang out with Jesus, the more we see what needs to change. Repentance becomes a lifestyle!

-- Max Lucado in “Max on Life”

#4297

THE POWER OF A CHANGED LIFE

I love John 4:28. It says that after talking with Jesus, the woman [at the well] “left her water jar beside the well” and headed back toward town. Have you ever had an unexpected encounter so world-shaking that it caused you to forget  what you were doing? I can picture Jesus noticing the forgotten water jar and smiling at its symbolism. She’d not only brought an empty water jar to the well, she’d brought an empty life. And she was leaving them both behind.

I also love the stir this woman created when she got back to town. Keep in mind, she wouldn’t have been a popular figure. People would have distanced themselves from her. But on this day her message was so intriguing and her enthusiasm so contagious that even her harshest critics were filled with curiosity. “Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did!” she said (John 4:29).

And they did. Followed her out to the well as if she were the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Such is the power of a changed life.

-- Mark Atteberry in “Free Refill: Coming Back for More of Jesus”

#4287

A RADICALLY TRANSFORMED LIFE

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12: 2 NLT)

To be honest, I didn't want to believe that Christianity could radically transform someone's character and values. It was much easier to raise doubts and manufacture outrageous objections than to consider the possibility that God actually could trigger a revolutionary turn-around in such a depraved and degenerate life.

-- Lee Strobel in “The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity”

#4274

THE BIRTH OF JESUS

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins.’"  (Matthew 1:18-21)

It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if Christ’s birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it did … For millions of people who have lived since, the birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it. It is a truth that, for twenty centuries, there have been untold numbers of men and women who, in untold numbers of ways, have been so grasped by the Child who was born, so caught up in the message He taught and the life He lived, that they have found themselves profoundly changed by their relationship with Him.

-- Frederick Buechner


#4236

INTO YOUR HEART

"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”  (Deuteronomy 6:6 ESV)

Notice that it doesn’t say ‘on your minds’ because there is a difference. I think there is a difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge, and that distance between the head and the heart, about 12 inches, is a long distance to travel. It is information up here [in the head] but it is transformation down here [in the heart]. So, what the writer of Deuteronomy is saying is, this can’t just be in your head, it has to get into your heart.

-- Mark Batterson, from a talk entitled “Parenting 101”

#4041