Change. Will Do You Good.

At church today we were in the second of a 3-part series, "Change We Can Believe In." (No matter the outcome of the election, the pastoral staff had a sermon series based on the candidate's motto. The other option was: "God First.")

Maybe I've said this before, but I've been learning this past year that Romans 12:2 is not a one time thing. ("Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." NIV) We must be about constantly being transformed and renewed.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2Corinthians 5:17) I think for much of my life I lived in the state of mind that I'm saved, so there's not much else I need to do other than believe in God. Pastor Efrem said this morning, "Every day ought to be about change." New life is a changed (as well as a changing) life. And our mission is to bring change to the world around us.

It becomes easy to be in a situation and wish that everyone around us would change. "If only my job was different. If only my friends would change. If only my spouse would change. Or my family, or my boss, or my situation in life." But change might come in life and we find nothing is different because we're still the same old us. Pastor Efrem spurred us on to consider, "Have you ever considered how much you need change?"

I can't go through each day living the same way any longer. I must constantly be asking Jesus what change He desires to bring about in my life. And through me, in my change, God might bring change to the world around me where I live. It's not political institutions that are going to bring good change to the world. It's the body of Christ, where each of us is doing God's will in the world, that will change the health care system, and housing, and the economy.

It's frightening to change. Things will be different. But that's not a bad thing. We must be intentional about wanting to change and asking God (and ourselves) how we need to change.