“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.” (Philippians 3:21 NLT)
Repentance literally means: “a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done.” (Strong’s) Nothing of substance changes in our thoughts, attitudes, or actions unless and until we change the way we think about whatever it is. For example, let’s say I’m living with my girlfriend out of wedlock. All my friends are doing it so what’s the big deal.
Then I have an encounter with Jesus. I give Him my heart, mind, soul, and body. Suddenly what I’ve been doing becomes repulsive to me. Why? Because the Holy Spirit will not abide in a heart that desires sin more than holiness. So, He convicts us of our sin, but it’s up to us to make the change. All change begins in our mind – how we think about it, and our thoughts motivate us to allow the Lord to change our heart that leads to a change in our behavior.
Lonnie Free wrote: “A change of behavior only glorifies God if it is motivated by a change of heart.” Some have the attitude that they can “fake it ‘til they make it,” but that never works for a believer in Jesus. We may fool ourselves, our friends, and the people at church, but we’ll never succeed at fooling our Savior.
One thing we can easily get confused, especially as a new believer, is what our role as a believer really is. Should we just be the best us as we seek to build our kingdom on earth, or should we forsake all notions of doing anything for ourselves and focus only on building God’s Kingdom?
Matthew 6:33 records the words of our Savior when He said: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” In this season of my life all I want is what God wants for me. I’ve learned to trust His judgment, because in every detail of my life He knows me better than I know myself. He knows better what I need than I know myself.
As I contemplate those words, I must consider what I’m writing. Am I saying that in God’s estimation what I need at this point in my life is to have Alzheimer’s? If I understand Scripture, nothing touches my life or yours, if you’re a believer, except it passes through the filter of God’s permission, and He allows nothing except He intends it to be used for our good and His glory.
So, yes, I have to believe the Lord knows exactly what He’s doing, so, while I would never in a million years choose a debilitating disorder of the mind and body for myself, I’m perfectly willing to trust that the Lord knows best. This one thing I know – I exist to do His bidding, so, if this disease will give me a platform to share my Savior with someone that I might never know otherwise, it will have been worth it all. If there’s one person who will be in heaven because of what I’m going to go through, so be it!
Francis Schaeffer wrote: “We are not building God’s kingdom. He is building his kingdom, and we are praying for the privilege of being involved.“ So, here’s the bottom line: If anything but our love and devotion to Jesus is motivating any change in us, it’s a waste of time, energy, and resources. Why? Because if it doesn’t advance the Kingdom of God it’s of no value to us or our Savior.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 