Transformation

by Tom Gilbert
Published February 10, 2006

Christ calls us to follow Him. He doesn't tell us to come after we've become a better person or after so much study. Look at the disciples in the New Testament. "Follow me" resulted in them going right then.

Maybe you are hesitating. You don't feel worthy. We understand. The only way that you will receive Jesus is to admit that you are not right, not whole, broken…a sinner.

Jesus will heal you.

How this healing takes place is one of the great paradoxes. We must first come to the point of complete surrender. We, like Jesus before us, must become broken bread and poured out wine.

In baptism we are taught that we die to our old selves. We must first die before we are reborn. When Christ was crucified our sins were forgiven. Our salvation preceded our repentance! Yet, to personally receive this salvation, you must first repent of your sins.

This is a humbling experience. It's a real leveling of our pride. We must admit to our innermost selves that we have a lot that is wrong in us. Furthermore, we must recognize that we can't fix ourselves. Only God can do it and he provided the way through Jesus. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

For those of us who have repented, invited Jesus in to our lives and turned our entire self over to him, it may still seem like a very long process to become like him. Even though we are saved when we repent and ask Jesus to be our Lord, we may have a long way to go before our actions change.

Do Not Be Discouraged

As new Christians we may be full of joy and enthusiasm. This is wonderful. However, life challenges will continue and your old habits will probably die hard. Some of us find this to be a life-long process. It can be like two steps forward, three steps back.

We should not be discouraged, although at times you may be. Many people become disappointed because they are expecting a security system. They are hoping that everything will be smooth sailing. No more troubles. This is misleading. When you turn your life over to God you should have a sense that ultimately everything will be ok. Yes, God loves us and will protect and provide. But we must learn a really hard part--breaking down our ego.

So, it's not a security system, it's a salvation system. And our salvation is not the result of anything we do to earn it. We are saved by faith.

Hard Times Ahead

Christ tells his followers there will be hard times ahead. Paul and other apostles learned to rejoice in this. They discovered it was a great opportunity to test their faith and that persecution was confirmation of their faith!

If you get persecuted for your beliefs don't take it personal. Instead, remember that others are persecuted and for the same reasons. Some people lash out against that which they disagree with. As Christians, we take a different tack. We love others, even those who hate us and hurt us. Not an easy calling, but what a higher way! Who can condemn you for responding with love when hate and hurt come at you?

This process of denying self and living for others is not easy. True discipleship means we no longer live for our own desires. We want to be useful members of the body of Christ. And just who is the head of this body? Not us! So, we can't be giving the orders. Our Lord is a loving master. He will come and dwell with us and in us. He's not cruel and harsh. "My yoke is light". We are not alone in our new life.

I think the key is finding the balance between being hard on our selves, but not too hard. A good rule of thumb is to be harder on yourself than you are on others. We've got to watch out for playing the victim, though. This is all about growing and becoming a better person. Pray that God will continually disclose to you areas that need work and pray for the constant renewal of his Spirit.

The ongoing problem in the world is that our desires as humans are typically not in line with what God desires for us. Even when we think they are good, such as love and kindness, if the motive is self-driven it is not pure.

What God asks us to do is always in line with spiritual laws. Break any of them and you suffer the consequences. One of these spiritual laws is that the more you give the more you get. This refers not only to financial giving, but also of your time, talents and, most importantly, your selfless love.

We must be transformed from the old self to a new self. The old self has us striving to control. The new self surrenders this control and lives only to do and please the will of God. Our pride makes this hard for us. We don't like it. It means sacrifice.

True Love

The reward of living this way is that we find out what true love is. Remember that Jesus gave us a new commandment. It was much like the old commandment-the golden rule-but better. We were told then to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Christ gives us a higher way. Love one another as he loves us. His love is pure.

Each day we can be renewed in Christ. He gives us the strength to face whatever comes our way. No trial or tribulation is too great with God on our side. And he promises to never leave us. Facing our difficulties with Jesus in us allows for overcoming these troubles and demonstrating to others God's power. This must be why Paul, Peter and James spoke so often of endurance (Romans 5:4, Colossians 1:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:5, James 1:2-4, 2 Peter 1:6).

It is natural that we are still going to have fear and be troubled about life's challenges. Each day that we totally rely on our Master strengthens us. It's about trust. Many of us have had to learn how to trust. When we can totally rely on God it will drive out the fear we have that comes from realizing that self-reliance won't solve our problems.

Part of the transformation process is that we become givers instead of takers. Jesus calls us his friends, and he showed us that as a friend we value others more than ourselves. To appreciate that we must be broken like the bread Christ broke at the last supper.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.

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