Change Ain’t Easy!

Change Ain’t Easy!

Received this in an email this week. It is from an inscription on a tombstone. Got me to thinking about the “difficulty” of change thus this lesson!

“When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits,

I dreamed of changing the world.

As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not change –

So I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country,

But it too seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt,

I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me,

But alas, they would have none of it.

And now I realize as I lie on my deathbed, if I had only changed myself first,

Then by example I might have changed my family,

From their inspiration and encouragement I would then have been able to better my country,

And who knows, I might have even changed the world.”

Suppose you could change anything about yourself, where would you start? Lots of us would start on the outside. Would you be . . .Skinnier? Taller? Shorter? Better looking?

Would you change . . .Your eyes? Your hair? Your teeth? Your legs? Your bulges?

If you could wave a magic wand and change your outward appearance, would it be a light touch-up or an extreme makeover? Would we even recognize you?

All of us probably all go through periods where we want to change our outward appearance. But isn’t it hard to do?

But as hard as it is to change on the outside, it seems infinitely harder to change on the inside. If there is anything we know about human nature, it is that people change slowly, if they change at all. Think about the struggles of your own life. What would you change about yourself on the inside if you could?

Would it be an impatient spirit?

Would it be a critical tongue?

Would it be envy of those around you?

Would it be a spirit of discontentment?

Would it be lingering resentment?

Would it be lust you can’t conquer?

Would it be financial mismanagement?

Would it be a guilty conscience?

Would it be an inability to work with others?

Would it be overbearing stubbornness?

Would it be a judgmental spirit?

Would it be a quick temper?

Would it be profound discouragement?

Would it be an inability to appreciate life?

Would it be an ungrateful spirit?

Would it be a disorganized life?

Would it be an inability to say no?

Would it be a mean streak you can’t seem to get rid of?

We all want to change something, but we don’t know how to do it and we don’t know where to begin. We all dream of being something different and better than the person we are today.

But change is hard, isn’t it? Let’s see what the Bible says by looking at one of the better-known verses in the New Testament:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2).

Knowledge of the Bible is very important. We all should spend time learning and studying the Bible. But knowledge alone will not save us and knowledge alone will certainly not change us. We’ve got to do something with the knowledge we have.

Change is not easy and it’s not supposed to be easy. If it were easy, anyone could do it.

Most of us change very slowly, if we change at all. And few of us make any lasting changes except under pressure and as a result of personal pain. There is no growth without struggle. We all have heard the phrase “No pain, no gain.”

Long-held habits can be changed, but it won’t happen overnight. Patterns of sin can be broken, but it will take more than a quick prayer at the end of a worship service. You can see significant growth in your spiritual life, but it won’t come without a cost.

As long as our life is going well, why should we change? When we are around people whatever is in our heart will come out sooner or later. If we’ve got a tendency to cut corners, our friends will spot it. If we fudge on the truth, if we are a chronic excuse-maker, if we have a critical spirit, if we have a root of bitterness, or if we are just a difficult person to be around, all of it is bound to come out eventually.

And there is some benefit to this. The revealing of weakness always involves personal pain. But the benefit comes from seeing the truth about ourselves, warts and all.

Now at last you can do something about it. That “something” is what Romans 12:2 is all about. It tells us that we can be transformed when our minds are renewed. How does that happen?

1) We must be transfigured on the inside.

Note the word “transform.” The Greek word for “transformed” in Romans 12:2 is related to the English word metamorphosis. You will recall from 7th-grade science class that metamorphosis is the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. It’s a gradual change on the inside that produces a total transformation on the outside. Remember in Mark’s Gospel, “Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. “Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them.” (Mark 9:2-3). When Jesus was transformed, he did not cease to be Jesus. He was still who he had been moments before, but for a brief time, the curtain was pulled back, so to speak, and James, Peter and John saw as much of the true divinity of Christ as any man can see and still live. In that moment they saw the “real Jesus,” the true Son of God from heaven. He did not cease to be a man, but his true identity was revealed to them”

Consider what happens when a caterpillar enters the cocoon, only to emerge later as a butterfly. The caterpillar doesn’t change its basic nature.

Caterpillars can’t fly. But they were born to fly. When the caterpillar changes into a butterfly, it becomes what God always intended it to be.

Now just study a caterpillar for a moment. You can’t tell by looking at a caterpillar that one day it will fly. It seems impossible.

You never know how someone will turn out.

When the apostle John said that “we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.” (1 John 3:2), he was talking about our future when we are with the Lord in heaven. But it is also true in this life. God is in the transformation business, and you can’t tell who will end where or what plans God has for you and me tomorrow.

God is determined that we will all be like Jesus in the end. Romans 8:29 says "For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.”

A famous sculptor once said “In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect. Then I cut away everything that didn’t look like this mental image.”

Now apply this to the spiritual life. All of us are works-in-progress. We’re not finished, not glorified, not perfected, not completed. We’re all “under construction.” If you’ve ever visited a construction site, you know that it is noisy and looks messy. While the hammering and sawing continues, it’s hard to imagine what the final result will be. But God never stops working on us because there is so much work that needs to be done.

*If you concentrate on your weakness, you will lose your confidence.

*If you concentrate on God’s faithfulness, you will grow in confidence.

What makes us think that God will ever finish the job? Picture God as a sculptor working with a rough piece of marble. He’s working on a big chunk named “_______.” (Insert our name here.) It’s a hard job because the chunk is badly marred, misshapen, discolored, and cracked in odd places. It’s about the worst piece of marble a sculptor could ever find. But God is undeterred and he works patiently at his job, chipping away the bad parts, chiseling an image into the hard stone, stopping occasionally to polish here and there. One day he finally finishes one section of the statue. The next morning when he returns to the studio that section is messed up. “I thought I finished that yesterday,” he says, “Who’s been messing with my statue?”

It turns out that we’re the culprit. We are our own worst enemy. What we thought would improve things has only messed them up. But God is faithful. He patiently picks up his chisel and goes back to work. He’s chipping away everything that doesn’t look like Jesus. In my case, it’s evident that he has a long way to go. But I am encouraged by the certain knowledge that he won’t quit half-way through a project. What God starts, he finishes. You can take that to the bank.

2) We must reprogram our minds.

Sometimes we get “squishy” about the spiritual life. This means that we think in purely emotional terms. If only we can “feel” the presence of the Lord, then we know we are moving in the right direction. As important as feelings are, and they do matter greatly, Paul here put the emphasis on the renewing of the mind.

How do we change “the way we think” as Paul writes in Romans 12:2? Or as the NIV Bible says “renewing of your mind”. The answer is actually simple though it is the work of a lifetime. Desire must be combined with discipline. The transformation of the mind takes time, and it takes a determination to develop those habits of holiness.

And we need Godly encouragement. It is hard to grow spiritually without being around others who can encourage us to make wise choices on a daily basis.

So we need to “choose our friends wisely” because we will become like our friends and our friends will become like us. The right friends make it easier for us to grow in the Lord and the wrong friends make it much harder.

Romans 12:2 teaches us about spiritual metamorphosis. God intends that we will slowly but surely be transformed into the image of Christ.

It will not happen by accident.

It does not happen overnight.

It cannot happen without the Holy Spirit.

It happens when we make a personal commitment.

It happens with the godly encouragement of other Christians.

It happens as we become what God made us to be.

It happens as we behold the glory of Jesus Christ.

We must pursue the Lord so that we may know him better and better. Then and only then will we be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, has this engraved on her tombstone: “End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”

Shhhh. Listen!! Do you hear the faint sound of hammering and sawing on the inside? Quiet. When God is finally finished, you will be like Jesus.