Surrender to God’s Call to Change 

You have probably heard about the recent controversy involving a well-known restaurant chain’s plan to rebrand itself. Among the changes in the works, until a later reversal was made, were a different logo and the remodeling of their facilities, including moving away to some degree from its old-fashioned, country style of décor. Many have spoken out in opposition to these plans. Some support their aversion to these changes by citing political motivations or even moral issues as being behind these modifications. Whether or not that is true, probably the overwhelming reason for people’s outrage about this issue is simply that they don’t like change. Sometimes we try to cover up our resistance to change by trying to make it political or moral. However, if we are honest with ourselves, often it is more a matter of personal preference and the fact that we just want things to stay the way they are or how we are accustomed to them.

While such an attitude toward change can affect many areas of our lives, we need to be especially careful of it when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. Why? Because following Jesus is going to inevitably involve change – changes in our lives, as well as changes in the very core of our being. If we don’t like change and resist it, we are not going to make the progress we should in becoming faithful and mature disciples of Jesus.

The basic message of Jesus, as well as the gospel as a whole, is the call to repent. Repentance by definition involves change – a change of mind and a change in direction. Many people walk away from that call because they are fearful of or resistant to the changes the Lord might want to make in their lives. They refuse to repent, not because of doubts or unbelief or other issues they might hide behind, but simply because they do not want to give up certain activities or change the way they live.

If we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior, it will change us. The Bible declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). Not only do we leave behind many former practices in our lives, but we ourselves are different. We are transformed. But it is a good change. As one old song testifies, “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart.”

As significant, and sometimes dramatic, as that initial change can be when we trust Jesus for salvation, change will continue to be a vital and ever-present factor in the life of a believer. God’s goal for us is to make us more like Jesus – “to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). He wants us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). And growth requires change.

I am afraid that many of us aren’t progressing in our faith because of our resistance to change. We may try to blame it on other issues, but the bottom line is that we are afraid to change. We don’t like it. We are comfortable with where we are, with who we are, and with what we typically do. The real sticking point isn’t about believing in God, or in the resurrection of Jesus, or in the Bible as the infallible Word of God. It is about not wanting to let God change us.

Therefore some of us may need to recognize, admit, and repent of our resistance to change. Then we need to let God work in our hearts and lives. Change can be good, especially if the Lord is the One doing it.  

 

Celebrate Your Spiritual Victories 

My youngest grandson had been on the verge of transitioning from crawling to walking for several weeks. Appropriately enough, it was on the day of his first birthday that he took a combination of steps that could officially be considered his initial walk. He even chose a special location for the event. His family was visiting the Georgia Aquarium that day. So while standing in front of a big glass window with a plethora of beautiful fish in the background, our grandson accomplished his significant feat. Not only was his family cheering him on, but the crowd of other guests at that location realized what was going on and gave him a rousing ovation. I guess that reaction, along with the enthusiastic responses he received from subsequent walks, made an impression on him. Now when he walks, he claps his hands, recognizing that it is reason for celebration.

Milestones in life are worth celebrating, including the ones in our journey with the Lord. We are often quick to get down on ourselves or to become discouraged when we falter spiritually, get tripped up by some temptation, or fail to make as much progress as we had hoped in our quest to become a more mature follower of Jesus. And those incidents may indeed call us to repentance, to lean more heavily on the Lord, to be more disciplined, or to surrender more fully to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. However, let’s not get so bogged down in our shortcomings that we fail to recognize our victories and the progress we are making. Those spiritual milestones and victories are reason for celebration.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three related parables about the “lost” – a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. One of the common factors in those stories is that after what was lost was found, there was joy and a celebration. In applying the truths from those stories, Jesus declares that the milestone event of a lost sinner repenting is the cause for rejoicing in heaven. If the residents of heaven find reason to rejoice in such an important occurrence, shouldn’t we?

While that moment of salvation when one goes from being lost to being found is the most crucial of events to recognize and celebrate, there may be other significant victories in our journey we should rejoice over as well. Celebrate when you overcome that temptation rather than giving in to it. Rejoice when you are becoming more regular in your Bible reading and prayer times. Be thankful when you see Christlike qualities coming through more often in your life. Celebrate that you were a bold witness for Christ this time and didn’t let fear force you into silence. Rejoice that you were able to show love to that person you find hard to love. Notice the growth that you are experiencing and celebrate it.

While those spiritual milestones are worthy of celebrating, let’s not lose sight of one significant truth. My grandson is clapping when he walks now, clapping with others and clapping for himself. Likewise, we can clap when we make forward strides in our walk with the Lord. However, we shouldn’t be clapping mainly for ourselves. We couldn’t do any of this in our own strength. We need to be clapping for the Lord. Concerning that initial step of salvation and everything that follows leading us to maturity in Christ, it is all due to the grace, power, and help of the Lord. He is the One who deserves the praise, not us.

So celebrate those spiritual victories and the progress you are making in your journey with Jesus. Let’s just be sure to give all the glory for it to the Lord. Clap for Him.

 

Trust God in Difficult Times 

I was driving through downtown Atlanta on my way home after visiting my dad in the hospital. We had been experiencing a roller coaster ride of progress and setbacks over the previous ten days since my dad had broken his hip. That particular afternoon had been a very discouraging one due to my dad’s increased mental confusion that day. At one point on my drive, a vehicle from the next lane sharply cut over in front of me. It wasn’t a reckless or irritating maneuver as is sometimes the case, but simply one that caused me to pay greater attention to that car. As I did, I noticed two stickers on its back windows. One read “God is good.” The other one declared, “The Lord is my strength.” I immediately realized that those were truths I needed to be reminded of at that moment. I have never been one to put stickers on my car, but I am glad someone did. Neither am I claiming that an angel was driving that vehicle, but it certainly was a timely encounter. I continued to repeat those words to myself and find encouragement in them the remainder of my trip home.

When we are facing difficulties or going through other trying times in our lives, those are two truths we need to keep in mind. First of all, God is good. It doesn’t mean that whatever we are going through is good. However, it does serve as a reminder that God is not being mean to us, He is not getting any pleasure out of our sufferings, nor has He simply forgotten us or forsaken us. He is a good God who loves us and who cares about us. It is a part of His nature – it is who He is. Even when He doesn’t do what we might prefer to see happen in our situation, we can still trust that He is good and is working out what is best. We may not understand why, but we know we can trust our good God. Furthermore, we can stand on His well-known promise that He is working all things together for good to those who love Him (see Romans 8:28).

Likewise, in those times we need to remember that the Lord is our strength. Sometimes we feel like the trials are more than we can bear. Our hearts break and our physical strength is sapped from long hours of caregiving, daily drives through rush hour traffic, interruptions to our normal routines in life, uncertainties about the future, and all the emotional stresses that accompany such circumstances. We may try to make it through in our own strength, but we often find ourselves struggling to keep going. It can be exhausting physically, mentally, and spiritually. The good news is that we have Someone greater than ourselves on whom we can lean. The all-powerful God is holding us up. He can give us strength beyond our own capabilities. Another familiar promise lets us know that “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

When difficult times come your way, as they inevitably will, God may not send a car with stickers on its window to get your attention. Nevertheless, He wants us to remember these helpful truths. Don’t lose sight of His goodness, even when circumstances don’t look good. And don’t forget that your God is there to give you the strength you need to get through this. We can trust Him, and He can help us.

 

The Lord Can Keep Us from Falling 

My dad was in the hospital recently, recovering from surgery after having fallen and breaking his hip. I noticed outside his room was a brightly colored placard reading “Fall Risk.” It served as a reminder to everyone, especially the staff, that this patient had mobility issues and was susceptible to falling. He didn’t need to try to get out of bed in his current condition without the assistance of a nurse. Therefore he might need a little extra attention and to be watched more closely.

Let’s not forget that we all face a similar possibility when it comes to our spiritual health. No matter who we are or how long we have been following the Lord, there is always the possibility that we could stumble and fall. All of us are a “fall risk” during our days on this earth. Hopefully, we are growing and maturing in our faith so that the possibility of stumbling is lessened. However, we need to be careful in thinking that we are beyond the reach of temptation or that we are strong enough within ourselves to overcome the attacks of the enemy of our soul. We continually need to follow Jesus’ advice to His disciples to “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).

On the one hand, let’s not use Jesus’ observation as an excuse for our propensity to stumble. Let’s not blame it on our weak flesh and claim that we can’t help but constantly be giving in to temptations, making bad choices, and experiencing spiritual defeats in our daily lives. While it is true that we are able to stumble, the good news is that we don’t have to do so. The Bible declares that God “is able to keep you from stumbling” (Jude 24). Our flesh may indeed be weak, but if we are trusting Jesus as our Savior, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4). The Lord can give us strength and can enable us to keep standing, no matter what temptations or trials we may face.

On the other hand, let’s not get overly confident in ourselves. Let’s not start boasting like Peter did when Jesus warned His disciples that they would all stumble on the night of His arrest. Peter responded, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble” (Matthew 26:33). Jesus went on to reveal to Peter that he would go even further and would deny Jesus three times before morning. It is reminiscent of another scriptural admonition: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

I am not suggesting that we need to walk through life tiptoeing around in fear of falling. We can make this journey with boldness and assurance of our relationship with the Lord. However, it is not with confidence in ourselves or in our spiritual strength. It is confidence in the great God who is able to uphold us. We have to keep standing on the solid Rock of faith in Jesus. We have to keep watching and praying so that we don’t fall into temptation. We must keep leaning on the Lord while depending on His strong arms to uphold us, not simply relying on our own strength.  

Yes, we are at risk of falling. And if we do, there is forgiveness available to the repentant. Nevertheless, we don’t have to stumble and fall. Let’s trust the Lord not only to forgive us and restore us when we fall, but to give us strength to keep us from falling in the first place.

 

Be Willing to Listen to God’s Voice 

As we get older, some of us develop hearing problems. I know a number of people who make use of hearing aids in order to assist them with this issue. I am aware of one person who recently struggled with being able to understand what was being said to her over the phone due to her hearing aid not functioning well. It was a call from a doctor’s office with important instructions about a prescription she was taking. However, she wasn’t sure if she had heard correctly what they were saying. Some things we hear can be more significant than others. It may not matter if I hear some trivial comment made by someone on a game show on TV. However, it can be vital that I hear what a physician is trying to communicate to me about my personal health.

It is even more important that we hear what God says to us. His words affect not only the quality of our present lives but also the state of our existence in eternity. Nevertheless, I am afraid that many of us aren’t hearing Him. It has nothing to do with our capability of hearing. It has more to do with our willingness. Jesus proclaimed, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 11:15). He was not simply saying, “Listen! Pay attention to what I am saying!” He was also pointing out that even though we all have ears, we may choose not to use them. We can refuse to listen. Jesus had preceded that statement about ears with the clarifying phrase, “If you are willing to receive it” (11:14). He was telling them truth, but they had to be willing to open their ears, minds, and hearts in order to receive it.

 Do we have ears to hear what the Lord says to us? The opportunity is abundantly there for most of us. Jesus has spoken to us. We have the Bible to faithfully communicate God’s will to us. We have the Holy Spirit to apply those truths to our lives. We can hear preachers proclaim it. We can read it for ourselves. While it is true that there are many other voices that would seek to drown out what God is saying, most of us have access to hearing what He wants to communicate to us – especially the wonderful good news about salvation in Jesus. But are we willing to listen?

Many people are refusing to hear what the Lord is saying to them. They don’t want to hear that they are sinners who are on the wrong road in life. They don’t want to hear that they need to change. They don’t want to listen to the call to submit to the will of God. They want to keep doing what they want to do. Even those who profess to be Christians and Christian ministers can be guilty of this. We can get so set in our beliefs that we have been taught or opinions we have developed that we aren’t open to any contradictory truth, even when it is clearly revealed in God’s Word. I know people who follow Jesus who adamantly declare that they will change their views and alter their lives if they are shown a truth in the Bible that would suggest they need to do so. However, when confronted by such truth, they often still refuse to listen.

Let’s make sure we have ears to hear the word of the Lord to us. Don’t shut His voice out when it isn’t what you want to hear or when what He says goes against your preferred view. Let’s be willing to receive the truth from God, no matter what it is.