Are You Changing?

If anyone professes to be a Christian, there should be some evidence of that in their life. What I mean by that is when we accept Christ into our hearts, he is now living in us. We are not so much a new person as we have a new person living in us. Our old self will sometimes pop up in our thinking and behavior, but Christ is alive in us everyday. Because of what Jesus did on the cross we can have this new life right now.

Because of that work Christ did on the cross for us there should be some changes evident in us. Here is a sampling of some of the fruit that should be more evident in our lives:

• We will live with personal integrity – We will always be ready to examine ourselves through God’s Word, looking for ways we can change to become more like Christ.
• We will embrace the fact that we need other people in our lives to help us grow. Becoming more approachable, humble and open
• We will be honest about our struggles and not pretend like we have it all together.
• We can express Godly emotions in healthy ways (Anguish, pain, anxiety, jealousy, anger, happiness, gratitude)
• We will create an environment of grace in all our relationships
• We will forgive as we have been forgiven – extending a merciful attitude about failures and sins of others.
• We will ask for forgiveness instead of responding in unhealthy ways like defensiveness, rationalization, blame shifting, and other types of self-justification and self-atonement.
• We will try to give and serve in tangible ways
• We will persevere even when we are tempted to run. Patience, endurance and strength are evident in our lives.
• We will speak with honesty and candor in pursuing peace.

Basically we will be committed to responding to the circumstances and people in our lives in healthy Christ-like ways instead of our old ways. You see this most evident in our closest relationships with spouses and children. Are those relationships improving or getting worse. If they are not improving, maybe its time to take a closer look at yourself.

Our hearts, once controlled by sin, are now the dwelling place of Jesus Christ. We need to remember that we are not the same as we once were. We are a work in progress, being transformed form the inside out. We have potential for amazing change and growth because we have the power of Christ in us.

This past week I saw that in action as a man accepted Christ and has been free from alcohol for 2 weeks. He told me he has no desire or taste for it, which is different than the previous times he has tried to quit. Christ is now living in this man and he is being transformed. His desires are changing and his perspective is changing. We have the wisdom, strength and character of Christ available to us 24/7.