A passion to be changed

John Piper made the statement, “the mark of the new birth is a passion to be changed.” To this I respond, “YES! That is exactly the point.” Many who know about my life before I met Jesus, my Lord and Savior, baulk at my radical transformation. They make comments like, “only one in thousand have been miraculously freed from x, y, z sin.” “Complete deliverance does not happen that often,” they say. Their thoughts are, “whatever your propensity for sin is, you will continue to struggle with that for the rest of your life. Therefore be on guard, for you are one thought away from falling back into the same sin.”

This line of thought is so very frustrating to me. It is sad and defeating. But most of all it is not God glorifying! I abhor this line of thinking. I am moved to anger towards those who would propagate this deceptive and defeating line of thinking to those seeking freedom from the fetters of sin through the power of the cross.

Either the power the of the cross destroys all sin or it destroys no sin. Why? Because ultimately all sin is man not giving God what He is owed; namely, worship and obedience. Murder, adultery, homosexuality, drug and alcohol dependency, gossiping, lying, idolatry, impure thoughts, hating one’s neighbor…these are all manifestations of robbing God of worship and living in disobedience.

Colossians 2:13-15 ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ⁹ Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Will we ever be perfect? Not on this side of eternity. Will we ever not sin? Not on this side of eternity. Can we change? No. But, we can be changed. True change comes not from self, but from the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Can you hinder growth? Yes. Can you foster growth? YES, just get out of the way!

Ephesians 1:17-2:1 ¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰ which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

How do you get out of the way? Die to self daily, crucify your flesh, pray without ceasing, and take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Reflect upon the following passages:

Romans 12:1-2 ¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Galatians 2:20 ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me

Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world

1 Thessalonian 5:16-23 ¹⁶ Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; ²⁰ do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹ Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²² Avoid every kind of evil. ²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it

2 Corinthians 10:5 ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ

Getting out of the way means you place your faith in the unsearchable riches of Christ and the power of the cross. It means you have the faith of child. This is not blind faith, rather it is unimpeded faith. Have you considered the reason God has given us the Bible? John’s Gospel states this;

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name…Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written,” (John 20:30-31; 21:25).

This kind of faith is pure and not given to doubting the efficacy and sufficiency of the atonement. Consider the truths found in 1 Peter 1:3-9.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Christians-that is all who have been forgiven of their sins, whose slates have been wiped clean, those made clean by the shed blood of Christ, those who are counted as righteous because of the mercy and grace poured out for them because of God’s great love for them, should be passionately committed to being changed by God. If you claim to be a follower of Christ and do not see radical transformation in your life, you need to prayerfully and Scripturally investigate why you are not seeing changes. The Bible does not picture God’s children as people as static. No, friend, the Bible talks of transformation!

God’s children are called to be distressed about the sin in their life, they are called to rejoice in the mercies that fall fresh everyday, they are called to seek after God daily, and they are called to willingly step aside so that the Holy Spirit can conform them into the image of Christ…even when they don’t feel like doing the aforementioned.

Obedience is doing the work you are commanded to do even when you don’t feel like doing the work, even when you feel like God has forsaken you, even when you feel like prayer is not working. What you know, because of God’s self-revelation, namely the Bible, always trumps feelings! Our hope, our faith in the promises of God found in Scripture should guide our actions, because they are immutable (unchangeable) and our feelings are subject and vary from moment to moment. Know that God transforms lives! The more obediently you lay prostrate before King Jesus, open and bare, willing to be transformed the more transformation you will experience.

When God called me to become His daughter, I stepped aside. I knew I could do nothing to change own messy life and so I turned my messy life over to Him. I told Him I would follow Him anywhere and I told Him whatever He wanted me to do, I would do. That was four and half years ago. Today my heart’s cry is no different; “Change me, Oh Lord! Do whatever you must. Take away whatever you must. No matter how painful the process, Oh Lord, conform me into your image, that I may give you more honor and glory!”

Dear one, the process of sanctification is painful, but the One who made your sanctification possible knows your suffering by way of His incarnation and by way of the cross. By His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; 2 Peter 2:24). Restoration is found in Him! Remember that on the other side of the pain of conviction is repentance, which is followed by the sweetness of restoration. Oh, how I pray that all who read this are or today will become passionately committed to being changed by God! I can tell you from experience; the more passionate you are about being changed, the more your life will bear the testimony of the life transforming power of the cross!

G.R.A.C.E. by Brett Marlowe

Hey friends! A friend of mine posted this on his page and I wanted to share it with you. The picture you see to the left is the picture he is talking about in his writing...I just couldn't figure out how to get it on the bottom. Enjoy!

G.R.A.C.E. by Brett Marlowe

In the summer of 2007, I was blessed to travel around the world. I began in Atlanta, Georgia, and then stopped in Hong Kong for two days. I then went to Bangalore, India for eight days. Upon leaving Bangalore, I flew to Frankfurt, Germany, and then back to Atlanta, Georgia. When working with a team of programmers in India, we finished work early one day. One of the programmers on our team suggested taking me sight-seeing to a beautiful waterfall. Barra Chukki Falls was a 3-hour drive south of Mysore, India. Of course, a 3-hour drive in southern India is not like a 3-hour drive down Interstate I-95. I thought I was going to need a donut cushion by the time we got back!

When we finally arrived, it was absolutely breath-taking. As I was standing there taking pictures and watching everyone trying to squeeze their way through the crowd to get a look from the observation deck, there were several thoughts that began to invade my mind.

A reading of the Gospel accounts reveals that Jesus often had crowds of people following Him. Many translations use the term multitudes. In fact, Luke 12:1 reads, “After so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another…” Matthew 4:25 reads, “Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.” Unfortunately, the argument can be made that many of those in the multitude followed Jesus out of curiosity of seeing another miracle, rather than being a sincere disciple. Nonetheless, there where multitudes who flocked to see Him.

Every now and then we read where an individual pushed their way through the crowd to get to Him; the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of His garment (Mark 5:28-34) and the leper who came bowing down before Him (Matt. 8) are just two examples. While standing there taking pictures and observing the multitude pushing their way through to get a glimpse of the falls from the picture spot, I thought to myself; “How many of those people would push their way through the crowd to get a glimpse of the Savior?” At that moment, I was terribly convicted. Had I been on the streets in Galilee, would I have been pushing my way through to get a glimpse of the Savior? Would I have been just part of the curious multitude?

I continued to ponder this thought as I put my camera away and headed back to the car. We made several other sight-seeing stops on our way back to Mysore, but the day was coming to a close. I got back to where I was staying and began to download the pictures to my laptop. As I was scrolling through the many pictures, I noticed one in particular. I had no idea I had snapped this picture. Look very closely at the picture at the bottom of this article and see if you see anything unique. Once you’ve examined the photo, come back and read on.

I want you to notice the dead-looking tree in the middle of the picture. Did you see it? Look at the picture again. In the midst of the lush greenery, vibrant waterfall, and majestic display of God’s splendor, there stands one dead-looking tree. Please look again and take in the scene.

As I look at this picture, I am reminded of the amazing grace of God. While I am a filthy, rotten, sinner, I am also surrounded by the majesty and the splendor of Almighty God. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” What an amazing picture of grace! I’m aware of the acronym G.R.A.C.E.; God’s Riches At Christ’ Expense. However, the notion of being received by God is an even greater picture of God’s grace. Therefore, I have come up with another acronym for G.R.A.C.E.; God Receives At Christ’ Expense. God already owns everything, so it is understood that His riches are available to me. The overwhelming truth is that God receives me as His own adopted child. In spite of my fallen nature and rebellious heart toward Him, He receives me and welcomes me into His presence. This is possible because He came to earth wrapped in human flesh, lived a sinless and miraculous life, and died upon a dead-looking tree for my sins. The very tree that once stood as a symbol of my sin and death now stands as a symbol of my life in the Savior. What an amazing picture of grace!

While Jesus was nailed to the tree, there were multitudes who gathered around. Again, there were those who were curious. Perhaps, they were curious to see how He was going to get out of this one. Yet, there were those who were sincerely trying to get a glimpse of Him before He died. Had I been on the streets in Jerusalem, would I have been pushing my way through to get a glimpse of the Savior? Would I have been just part of the curious multitude gathered at Golgotha or would I have been a sincere disciple seeking to get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus?

Today, are you seeking a glimpse of the Savior? Do you see yourself as a dead-looking tree in the midst of the majesty and splendor of God? Ephesians 2:1-10 paints a vivid picture of the before and after. Before coming to know Christ, we are dead in our sins and even called children of wrath. Being a child of wrath means that if we die apart from faith in Christ we will stand subject to the wrath of God; you don’t want that to happen to you. The after scenario is the beautiful contrast. Verse 4 uses the greatest conjunction in all of Scripture; “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…” In Christ, we no longer live under the curse of the dead-looking tree. Christ has bore the tree as our substitute, and therefore, He has paid the penalty of our sins and satisfied the wrath of God. What an amazing picture of grace!

Grace is not something you earn; it’s a gift that you receive (Eph. 2:8-9). There is nothing that you and I could ever do to earn God’s love and forgiveness. If we could do something to earn it, then by definition it would not be grace. Grace is undeserved favor with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It knows that apart from Him we are nothing, and apart from Him we can do nothing. It recognizes that apart from the work of Christ on the cross, we would be hopeless forever. Look at the picture one more time. In one way it looks like two arms raised high in surrender; in another way it looks like a cross. Grace enables us to live surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Grace also acknowledges that Jesus surrendered to the will of the Father and bore the sins of humanity on the cross.

Have you been received by this amazing grace?

Sitting in the rain.

There is nothing better than sitting in the rain, especially after a run. Today, God afforded me this pleasure. He filled the clouds with water and then wrung them out upon the earth. He sent a breeze that was slightly cooler than the air that had been still all day. A breath of air floated across my skin wet with drops of rain and sweat. The wind and water did not cause me to be chilled, but relaxed me into a dreamy state of consciousness. Jazz in my ears and God in my mind…

John Piper will forever go down in history for his statement, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” A summer void of classroom work and a twenty hour a week job has left me with the feeling of stretched hours and even minutes. I have been reading and writing and studying the Scriptures. With much time to reflect, I have found myself reviewing the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in my life. And while I have just this past week finally penned my own salvation history, my review has been more focused on recent victories, namely contentment.

Being content to me has always conjured the feeling of ho-hum-ness. However, as I continue to view all things through the lens of Scripture I have found contentment to run much deeper. Contentment in Christ is being satisfied, peaceful, joyful, grateful, and humble. It is not worried or fearful. It is not lonely, but full. Contentment does not cancel desire for good things but it arrests the idolatry that can grow out of desires.

For the past two years I have actively been pursuing contentment and satisfaction in Christ alone. During this quest I have put a fine point on certain biblical truths as I have applied them successfully to my life. The result, friend, is that I am becoming more and more satisfied in the Savior. Taking pleasure in Christ; desiring Him above all things is a transforming task. It is not a task you can do yourself, but is one spurred along and accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a task that demands you take every thought captive and MAKE it obedient to Christ. Consider for a moment 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

How then are you to MAKE your thoughts obedient to Christ? You must first have knowledge of God. Where do you find knowledge of God? In God’s self revelation; namely the Bible. A true follower of Christ- that is to say one of the assurances a true believer will posses is the thirst to study the Scriptures. Why? Because a person who has been saved by the blood of Christ is sealed with the Holy Spirit (And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14), who bears witness to Christ, who brings conviction, and who illuminates the meaning of Scripture (“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” – John 14:26, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me” – John 15:26).

Does it make sense that the One who testifies to Christ can sit dormant on the heart of a human? No! The Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of the children of God (But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth – 2 Thessalonians 2:13). God promised the Holy Spirit to the Son once His (Christ’s) work was accomplished on earth. Christ is the primary recipient of the Holy Spirit! Once Christ received the promised Holy Spirit, He then, out of His love for us, poured out the Holy Spirit (God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear – Acts 2:32-33) to minister to His brothers and sisters, His co-heirs to the kingdom of God, by teaching them, convicting them, and testifying Christ to them (For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory – Romans 8:15-17). The Holy Spirit is not a quiescent being; He is active! The only way to imitate Christ is to know Christ (Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God – Ephesians 5:1-2). The only way to know Christ is by reading the Bible (Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God,” – Matthew 22:29; And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself – Luke 24:27).

Christ was most satisfied in the Father. His will was that of the Father’s will.(Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven – Matthew 6:9-10; “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” – Luke 22:42). Christ did not act on His own accord, but sought the will of the Father. Christ did this perfectly, so that He could say to the disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him,” (John 14:6-7).

You must keep in mind that God is a God (Himself) glorifier; He most certainly is not a man glorifier. God did not need to make man; He was not lonely. He made man to enjoy His presence. Man was made in the very image of the triune God (Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them – Genesis 1:26-27). God, knowing the fall would happen, made man anyway with a plan for redemption already set. (And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring  and hers; he [the Messiah] will crush your head, and you will strike his heel – Genesis 3:15). Knowing that we would be God-haters (They [speaking of mankind] have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless – Romans 1:29-31), He created us anyway. He created us and purchased us at the most costly price ever known (“You [Christ] are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” – Revelation 5:9). Christ laid his life down and took on the weight of the sins of the world, so that man could be redeemed (This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us – 1 John 3:16)!

Christian…how does this not satisfy you? How do you not give God praise and honor? How do you not believe in His promises that are held in His own writing? How do you find fault in the One who loves you perfectly?

The question to myself, “How can I not find contentment in Christ?”

Upon reflection…pride. It is pride that keeps my satisfaction at bay. Pride quenches the Spirit. Taking each thought captive, means I must search my motives, I must examine my heart, and I must view each thought through the lens of Scripture. Making each captive thought obedient to Christ, means I must conform it Christ. How? By dying to selfish motives and attitudes of my heart, mind, and soul. By putting on the armor of God everyday. By keeping a clean heart. By desiring to rid myself of pride. By putting off the old man and putting on the things of Christ. “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things,” (Philippians 4:8).

Sweet sibling, ask God in prayer to help you become most satisfied in God. All glory is due to God. Giving Him what He is owed will make you content, not in a ho-hum manner, but in a manner that will fill you with praise! His plan for you is that you glorify Him. Glorifying God will not harm you, but will prosper you. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. (Jeremiah 29:11-14).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.