Change Is An Inside Job

CHANGE IS AN INSIDE JOB

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Americans tend to enjoy new things. We like new cars, new homes and new opportunities. We appreciate new friends, new clothes and new computers. Many of these “new things,” are rather expensive and difficult to obtain. Yet think about some new things you are blessed with today. We have a new year, a new month and a new day.

This message is being posted a few days into a new year. Many Americans tend to make New Year's resolutions, hoping for better things in 2024. I believe most of us look upon a new year as a time to make positive changes. Yet I am convinced that we tend to overestimate New Year's Day and underestimate today. Most diets begin on the first day of a New Year. The first day of January is the day targeted for a new exercise routine. Yet when the “new” wears off the year (which takes just a few days), our plans go down the drain. So much for change.

We do overestimate January first, but we underestimate today. Today is the best day for change. Even if yesterday was a disaster, change is still possible today.

Our problem is that we expect change to occur outside of us and somehow work its way into us. A new page on the calendar doesn't change us. Neither does another birthday or anniversary. Change doesn't occur from without, but from within. Change is an inside job.

Don't expect New Year's resolutions to last. They don't. Typically by the middle of January, resolutions are broken. People tend to slide back into normal behavior after just a few days. Old habits are hard to break. New habits are even harder to maintain.

In spite of our failures, change is needed in our lives. I want to be a better man in 2024 than I was in 2023. I want to be going forward, not backwards. I want to experience growth and reach greater heights. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

I seriously doubt that Paul wrote these words on New Year's Day. He had a desire to grow... that day. He want to go forward … that day. He want to be advance in the Christian journey … that day. Today is the day for change. While Paul writes about a high call, this call was felt within. He was changed after a personal encounter with Jesus one day. Change was an inside job. Behavior modification sounds wonderful, but it takes a change of heart for this to really occur.

God is in the business of changing hearts. The most important change that can occur in a person's life doesn't take place at a fitness gym. It occurs in the heart. Here are some changes God wants to implement in your heart this year.

SALVATION

First of all, if you are not a born-again believer, He wants you to believe on His Son, the Lord Jesus. Salvation changes a person's heart. A person may join a church, get baptized and attend a worship service weekly, yet never experience change. Outward expressions of faith do not change the heart. Only Jesus can do this. This is the most important change that can take place. Let me encourage you to turn from sin and trust Jesus, alone, to save you. The change He implements is an inside job that will transform your life.

SOLITUDE

As Christians, we experience change when we get alone with our Bibles and talk to God in prayer. I know it sounds rather trite, but prayer and the Word are major tools that God uses to change us. In the coming year, read from your Bible daily. Spend time in prayer every day. Like Mary, we need to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His Word. Daily communion with the Lord is a vital way that He changes us within.

SANCTIFICATION

After you look to Jesus for salvation, He begins a work of sanctification. In other words, God continues the change process by molding your character to be more like Jesus. This is a life-long process that is challenging, yet powerful. A truly converted person should desire to live a holy life. The Spirit's work within us produces the fruit of the Spirit. It is an internal work that produces outward results for all to see and appreciate. I want to walk closer to Jesus, reflect a life more like His and express His love in more tangible ways. What about you?

The only change that really matters, is the change the Lord makes in our lives!

Today is a great day for such a change!