Changing As You Read

When you read, do you ever realize that you have no idea what you just read? When I was in school, I had a lot of assigned reading — usually about 150 pages a day of commentaries and other technical material. Oftentimes, I would get to the bottom of a page and think, “You know, I have not the slightest clue what was on this page!” My eyeballs went over the words on the page, but the material had no effect on me. I certainly hope that is not the case as we read the Bible. We ought to be changing as we read. When God shows us an attitude or thought or action that is wrong, we ought to ask his forgiveness immediately and begin working to do what is right.
Paul told the Corinthian church, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18). Let’s examine this verse. First, Paul speaks of an “open face,” or one that is uncovered. In the preceding verses, we learn that when unbelievers read the Word of God, it is like there is a veil or curtain over their eyes. They just cannot see why all this stuff in the Bible has any relevance to their lives. For those who have been saved, however, Paul says that the Holy Spirit removes that veil, so we read the Bible with an “open face.”
As we look into the Bible, we see as it were a reflection (“as in a glass” or mirror) of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see his glory, we see how he reacted and responded, and we see how he wants us to live. Then Paul says that as we read, we are changed into the image of Christ “from glory to glory.” This process happens as the Holy Spirit ministers the Word of God to our hearts.
As Christians, we are on a sort of “staircase” that leads to Christlikeness, and each time we read the Word of God, we should be taking another glorious step upward, becoming more like Jesus. Every message we hear, every time we have devotions, every Sunday School lesson, every youth group time ought to take us another step closer to becoming like Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, you should never leave a church service, youth group meeting, or devotion time the same as you arrived; you must be changing as you read. As we read his Word, God is changing us by his Holy Spirit into a more Christlike person for his glory.

Where Does He Sit?

Have you ever heard the joke, “Where does an elephant sit when he comes to your house?” The answer of course is, “Anywhere he wants to!” That’s sort of funny, but if an elephant were in your house, he could do whatever he wanted to do because of his size and strength. We could ask a similar question about our own lives. When God comes to your life, what is he allowed to do? What can he change? As Christians, our response should be, “Anything he wants to!”
I wrote in the front of my Bible once a statement that I thought was very insightful and challenging: “God has every right and my permission to rearrange my life at any time in any way in order to fulfill his plan for its influence to his glory.” That’s pretty all-inclusive, isn’t it? There isn’t too much that statement leaves out: “at any time and in any way” takes in just about everything.
The Bible clearly teaches that God can do anything he wants at any time; he is completely free. God says in Isaiah 43:10b–11, 13, “. . . Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. . . Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?”
God tells his people that he is unique; no one else is like him. He can do whatever he wants and nobody can hinder (or “let”) his plan. We could bristle in response to God’s sovereignty and complain he isn’t fair and it’s not right that he controls the universe. The biblical response would be to trust God and allow him the freedom he deserves to rearrange our lives.
In certain areas of your life do you basically tell God, “Don’t go there”? Where is he allowed to go in your life and what does he have the right to change? He should be able to “sit” anywhere he wants to when he comes to your life. When God’s Word is read, studied, preached, or explained, we should be saying, “God, you are free to change anything you want. Show me what I need to do and I will gladly obey.” What response to you give God when he comes to your life?

Jell-O and Boots

I think one of my favorite things to eat is Jell-O. I like just about every flavor, I like it with fruit in it, I like it with applesauce in it— I like Jell-O! One of the fun things about Jell-O is that you can pour it into a mold when it is liquid, and then it will harden into that exact shape. Perhaps you have seen those Jell-O molds that have interchangeable designs on the bottom so you can put a star or a heart or some other shape in the Jell-O. Jell-O shapes to whatever the design on the bowl is.
Oftentimes, Christian young people are a lot like Jell-O. They allow the sinful world around them to press them into its mold. They look just like the world, they talk like the world, they like the same music, clothes, and entertainment the world does. The world has pressed them into its mold.
Christians are not to be pressed into the world’s mold. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Instead of allowing the world to force us into its ungodly mold like Jell-O, we ought to be transformed, changed from the inside out.
Instead of being like Jell-O, we ought to be like snow boots. Did you ever have a pair of those big snow boots? The kind we might call “moon boots” or “waffle stompers”? Instead of being pressed into the world’s mold, we ought to make an impression on those around us. We ought to leave our imprint on those with whom we have contact. They should know that we belong to the Lord.
If you claim to be a Christian, is the world squeezing you into its mold or are you leaving the imprint of Christ on it? Are you Jell-O or a snow boot? Leave your mark and the mark of Jesus Christ on everyone whom you meet.

No Good Thing

Do you know anybody who is really positive? No matter how terrible something may be, they can find the good in anything. My wife is very positive about things. She can pick something good out of a dreadful mess. It’s good to be positive about things and not write anything or anybody off as completely worthless.
However, we also tend to be very positive when we look at ourselves. We think, “I’m not that bad!” or “Sure, I have some things to work on, but who’s perfect? Overall, I’m a pretty good person.” The Bible is not nearly so optimistic about how good we are. In Romans 7:18, Paul says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” How could Paul say something so negative about himself? Paul isn’t just talking about himself, but he is describing the plight of all Christians.
Notice that the verse says that nothing good dwells in my flesh. When Paul speaks of his flesh here, he isn’t talking about his body, the flesh and blood thing that walks and talks and eats. There is nothing inherently evil about our bodies. The word flesh here refers to our sinful nature that we received as children of Adam. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, every human being born in this earth has had a sinful nature— except one. Because Jesus was born of a virgin and was the Son of God, he did not have a sinful nature (Heb 4:15). Ever have one of those shopping carts that always “drifts” to one side or the other? Our sinful nature, our flesh, is always heading for sinfulness. Even after we are saved, there is nothing good or commendable about our sinful nature. We have a sinful nature that makes us capable of any sin.
When we see someone who is entrapped in sin, we often think, “I would never do that!” or “I could never imagine myself in that position.” This is dangerous thinking! Along these lines, 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Just when we lose sight of the fact that we are sinful and nothing good dwells in our flesh, we are most susceptible to sin. Many good teens, godly men and women, pastors, and church leaders have fallen into terrible sin because they failed to recognize the danger of their own sinful nature. They thought, “I can get away with this” or “This isn’t too bad; I can handle it.”
We need to be scared of the dangerous potential of our sinful nature— nothing good dwells in our flesh! Do not allow sin and the devil to gain any foothold in your life (Eph 4:27) and do not make any opportunity for your sinful nature to be tempted to sin (Rom 13:14). See yourself as God sees you: a sinful person who needs God’s gift of eternal life and daily grace if we are to do anything pleasing to God.