During the Christmas break, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a ski trip with my college ministry. The leader of the trip challenged the college students to reflect on the past year and come up with one thing we would like to change about ourselves in the upcoming 2017. Before this moment I had never realized the importance of personal reflection in our lives. Most people celebrate the new year by making New Year's resolutions, but this had never been a big part of my childhood. Lately, I've been meditating about how we can change according to the Bible.
Before we begin the process of transformation, we first need to examine our hearts. I have personally found that many times I want to change something about myself for the wrong reasons. It may be a good thing to pursue, but if it is not for the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ, we are missing out on the point entirely. For example, I may want to become a more humble person, but the real reason behind my determination is to impress the pretty girl who sits next to me in class with how "godly" I am. Luke 16:15 says, "And He said to them, 'You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.'"
We are called to be image-bearers of Christ; to live in such a manner, we must be continually throwing off our sin and changing into someone who resembles more of Christ. The first step of change is identifying the major struggles/sins in your life. Romans 3:20b says, "... for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." In Romans 7:7 Paul argues, "I would not have come to know sin except through the Law." God's law is written throughout scripture, and its standard is holiness. When we measure ourselves up to a perfect standard we can begin identifying on what needs to change.
The most common belief which messes up the process of transformation is believing that you have the power to change yourself. We must reflect on God's standard of pure holiness to ultimately understand how far we fall short. We cannot change ourselves without God's intervention. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to develop us from the inside out. True change comes from a recognition of our sinful state and the contemplation of the glorious grace of God.
Romans 12:2a says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,". The process of "renewing your mind" comes from revisiting the scene of the cross. So many Christians know the importance of God's grace in salvation, but fail to recognize that it is God's grace that sanctifies us. You have to desire change before you can be changed. When we observe the story of the cross and Jesus' sacrifice for us, our only response is worship. Worship fundamentally revamps the desires of our heart. We want to become more like Christ because we recognize His goodness. We desire to change ourselves out of sheer gratitude for the cross.
The truth is that God's grace is always available to us. God's grace not only saves us, but also sanctifies, strengthens, and sustains us. Dr. Pace (one of my professors at OBU) gives this illustration about grace. He says that most people think of grace as a hamster wheel. They think we have to drive the hamster wheel of grace by exercising the spiritual disciplines to produce the power of change. Dr. Pace believes that the picture of grace is more of a turbine. God's grace is constantly flowing over us, and we use the spiritual disciplines as "buckets" to catch the "water" of God's grace and generate immense power.
Again, we do not have the power to change ourselves. We must focus on the cross and rely on the Holy Spirit for the power of true transformation. If we ponder God's grace throughout the day, we will see change and our New Year's resolutions might actually come to fruition!
