CHANGING LIVES

 

CHANGING LIVES

Matt. 3:8 “Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God.” NLT

Repentance without a change of life is merely words spoken. Actions do indeed speak louder than words. Christ in us changes us. He changes our desires from a wanting to sin to a not wanting to sin. He changes our attitudes. He changes our thought lives. He changes our priorities in life. He changes our goals for living. There is nothing about us that is not affected by Christ in us.

We all grow in faith at different paces. Some are dramatically made new at the moment of salvation. Others see a far more gradual change in their lives. Still others the process of changing is very slow, but it is steady. No matter how long it takes to change us, progress is made in a true believer’s heart. I Cor. 1:30 tells us that Christ is our wisdom from God, our righteousness, and our holiness. Therefore, we must be changing if we are living in Him. We take on His nature of righteousness and holiness. We put off the old self and take on Christ’s nature. The old passes away and all things become new.

Change should be evident to those who know us. Christ makes a noticeable difference in us. If others have to ask us if we are children of God, then something is wrong. We cannot live in the presence of God without God being seen in us.

We never stop changing and becoming as long as we live. There is a lot of work the Lord needs to do in all of us to make us holy. No one will ever achieve perfect holiness on earth. Sometimes the work He does in us is very deep and cannot be readily seen. If nothing is happening in us then we need to let the Lord re-examine our hearts and let the Lord have His way in us.

It is impossible to live in Christ without being constantly changed to become more like Christ.