Romans 5:8-9 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.
True life change takes commitment and cooperation and the realization that God’s transformation of us from sin to holiness is all about Him and not about us. Until we grasp that we exist to fulfill God’s purposes and not the other way around, change is meaningless.
God’s Plan for Change is two-fold. First, there is a crisis of conversion, a complete change of direction. “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” (Matthew 7:13). Secondly, there is the process of sanctification, the process by which God takes sinful people and makes them holy. “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1).¹
Some want forgiveness without transformation being comfortable with the status quo. God’s desire, His passion, is the total transformation of people. Some won’t seek change because they don’t have faith that God can change them. Look at biblical examples of people who God transformed for His purposes: Moses, the Woman at the Well, Saul/Paul.
Father God,
Thank You for Your desire and passion for my transformation. Thank You that the painful circumstances of my life prove that I am Your child. Please forgive me for resenting and resisting Your attempts to change me. Beginning today, I am choosing to fully cooperate with Your desire to transform me. I am willing to learn anything You are willing to teach me and receive anything You want to change in me. Thank You for loving me enough to make me like Jesus. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
[Read 2 Corinthians 1-7]
2 Corinthians 1:12 We can say with confidence and a clean conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.
¹James MacDonald, “Lord Change Me” rev. ed. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2002) pp. 49, 54.
Embracing God's Word 