Have You Changed?

Fifteen years have passed since I first shared these words, and in that time God has continued the work of change in my own life that I describe here. The question this devotion asks remains as urgent and as grace-filled as ever. I share it again, praying it will encourage you in your pilgrimage toward Christlikeness.

The World Around You

A few years ago the men in our church studied the words of the Apostle Paul to his young son in the faith, Titus. In chapter three of the letter that bears his name, Titus was instructed to encourage the people entrusted to his care to not be like the world around them: foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, being hated and hating (Titus 3:3). He then reminded them of something very important with these words: At one time they too were… just like that.

Paul told Titus that because of God’s love, the redeeming work of Christ, and the renewing and washing work of the Holy Spirit, the Christians in Crete were no longer like the world around them.

Have You Changed?

That fact, very naturally, brought up a painful question in our group discussion: What if we’re still like that? What if we’re still like the world around us? One possible answer to the question was even more painful: No change in your life may mean you aren’t in Christ, you haven’t been redeemed, washed, and renewed.

We’re all at different places in our relationship with Christ. And, of course, we all walk at different paces with him. Thus, we won’t all look alike. Yet, if we can’t look back at our lives a year ago, two years ago, or five years ago and see some sort of growth, some level of maturation in faith, love, godliness, and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit, then we may well need to ask the question: Am I truly in Christ? Of course, only God knows the heart and this isn’t about others judging you. But it is about each of us doing an honest assessment of ourselves.

There’s no getting around the fact that true faith in Christ will result in a changed life. We can’t possibly remain the same.

Facing the Music

About eight months after I graduated from college, I went back to visit a few friends who were still there. I also returned to share with them the news that God had called me into ordained ministry, and I would be heading off to seminary soon. I was very excited. I was also a bit nervous. Why was I nervous? Well, I had not always lived a godly life while in college. I knew it and I knew my friends and fraternity brothers knew it.

What happened? Well, my closest friends thought my news was great and wished me well. Others laughed me out of the room. I absolutely deserved it.

The laughter stung, but it also testified to something real: the distance between who I had been and who God was calling me to become. That journey from old self to new self – that’s the pilgrimage of progressive sanctification. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it certainly doesn’t happen without God’s grace meeting us at every turn.

Glory to God

I give glory to God, and God alone, that 37 years later I can point to real change in my life. And, as the old saying goes, while I’m not where I pray I will one day be in my faith, by God’s grace I’m not where I once was. I don’t know if I was the chief of sinners way back then, but I certainly was competing for the title. That fact makes the following words from Paul all the more precious to me.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15b-16)

If God could work in Paul’s life, as well as my own, then he can work in any person’s life. I praise God for the truth and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to change lives.

Where Are You?

So where are you now compared to where you once were? Do too many of the descriptions in the New Testament of the unbelieving world still describe you? Are you moving on to maturity with Christ, training yourself for godliness day by day? The progressive nature of growing in Christlikeness means it will never end on this side of Heaven. But faithfulness to Christ does require we get started.

And here’s the good news: if you sense even the faintest stirring toward Christ, if you feel the slightest pull toward change, God is already at work in you. Long before we turn toward him, he has been turning us. That restlessness in your spirit, that dissatisfaction with who you’ve been, that’s prevenient grace, God’s grace that goes before us, preparing the way. We start with rebirth. We continue by growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of God’s grace and Spirit. Are you moving forward? Have you started yet?

Richard Baxter reminds us: “Rest not till grace shall reign in your hearts, and sin be subdued; and in the midst of temptations, trials, and weaknesses, maintain the life of faith.”

Walking Points

• Can you think of a Christian you know whose life is different than when you first knew them? What about them has changed?

• How about your own life? Can you identify areas in your life that are markedly different than when you first came to know Christ? What are those areas? Did they change all at once or was it a slow process?

• How did you know you needed to change? How did the process take place (i.e., what did the change look like)?

• Name two or three areas that are still “works in progress.” What are you actively doing to become more like Christ in those areas?

• Discuss these issues with two or three brothers and sisters in Christ and actively pray for one another.

Prayer
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Gracious God, you are the Lord of our lives. I confess that all too often I resist obeying and following you and resist the change you desire. I am grateful for your patience with me and for the wonderful news of your Gospel. Move me, by the power of your Spirit, to pursue you for all I’m worth, for surely in that pursuit I will also find myself becoming more like you. Help me to find Christian brothers and sisters who also seek to walk with you and help us to build up and pray for one another. Enable me to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, encourage others to do the same, and bring glory to your name. In Christ I pray. Amen.