One of the disciplines effective people have in common is remaining open to learning. Art Costa and Bena Kallick identified this as one of 16 Habits of Mind. I try to instill in my high school students a love for learning which will hopefully continue well after they graduate. By definition, an integral aspect of learning is change. You cannot learn without changing. Although it can be painful and challenging at times, to overcome trials, to mature, to grow, and to progress you must change. As some people learn they change for the better. Other people fail or refuse to learn, willingly digress, or use their new knowledge for harm instead of good. How have you changed recently? If you want to experience the best in life, let God change you from the inside out as you trust and obey Jesus.
God created you. He knows you and he loves you. He desires for you to be with him, to be like him and to do what he does. Jesus, God the Son, died for you and rose again to make that possible (Romans 6:23). By trusting and obeying Jesus you can be reconciled with God and experience his abundant, everlasting life that you were designed for (Colossians 1:3-23). Living life on your own terms, broken and separated from God, you will never be truly fulfilled, no matter how much you change. Jesus is the only way to be saved, restored, and changed for the best. He is your resurrection and your life (John 11:17-43, 14:6).
To experience God’s divine transformation requires faith in Jesus and his salvation. Humbly accept God’s gift of new life and adoption into his family (John 1:1-17). Then out of love seek to grow closer to him, become like him, and carry out his mission of saving others as he enables you. The apostle Paul wrote of this glorious truth under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:4-10).
When Jesus ministered on earth, he called people to himself. “’The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:15). Jesus is still calling people today. Repent means to change your mind. With each day you are given, Jesus is calling you to change any preconceived ideas or ignorance about who you think he is and accept and grow in the good news of who he truly is. The Bible, God’s word, gives you a clear revelation of how wonderful, good, loving, and awesome Jesus is (For instance, the book of John in the Bible is an excellent passage for understanding Jesus’ character, message, and mission). Believe means to be so assured of something or someone that you change your actions to align with that. Sincere belief even endures suffering. For many times it is through suffering that God utilizes your belief to treat and heal the root cause of your affliction or the affliction in others. Jesus is calling you to die to yourself in order to find abundant life in him and for him. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (Luke 9:23-24). Answer Jesus’ call to change for the best by trusting and obeying him.
Significant change is difficult and costly, but so worthwhile. However, building wealth, gaining knowledge, acquiring power and status, or performing good works does not change you enough to save you. You just aren’t able to live up to what is required. Everyone has sinned and falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:9-24). Only God can save you as he works from the inside out. Your role is not to strive, but to joyfully receive what God has already done for you through Jesus. Then actively rest as you trust and obey. Let him change you—to replace your broken life with his perfect one. The apostle Paul wrote of the unfathomable blessing of giving up dreams, possessions, achievements, status, comfort, and security in exchange for knowing and identifying with Jesus. Although the path to change involves humbly suffering, it results in glorious exaltation. May this scripture encourage you to be open to change so you benefit and others benefit—all for God’s glory.
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:7-14).