Over the course of my journey with Jesus, I have been prompted to examine my heart and life in order to make changes that cause me to look more like Jesus. Sometimes the prompt is a gentle nudge, but other times it is a not-so-gentle smack that stops me dead in my tracks. Regardless of the intensity of the prodding, the motive behind it is always sanctification, or making me conform to the image of Christ.
The more I fall in love with Jesus, the more of those nudges He gives me. I recall a time in my life when I rarely felt the need or the nudge to make changes. I was saved, but that was it. I had no relationship with Jesus. I had fire insurance only. It was not until I developed a hunger and a thirst for more of Him that I began to also long to be more like Him. Romans 12:2 became the cry of my heart:
Do not conform 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. (NIV)
May I offer it to you from The Message?
Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Sanctification, or the changing of a Christian to look more like Jesus, is something that I always thought of as being for my personal, spiritual enhancement…and it is. It makes me look more like Jesus and brings me into closer, more intimate relationship with Him.
Recently, however, I have been reminded that my sanctification can be, and should be, a blessing to those around me. As I am conformed to the image of Christ, the fruit of His Holy Spirit should be pouring out of my life. I should be serving up a ‘love smoothie’ to those around me, a ‘patience’ smoothie to my family, a ‘kindness’ smoothie to my customers.
Your Life Matters! People need what we can give them as a result of our relationship with Jesus. We live in a hurting, hell-bound, desperate world. Not only do those around us who are not believers need to see Jesus in us, but our Christian brothers and sisters need to be washed in the overflow of the Holy Spirit in us. Think about what a blessing it is to be around a believer who exudes kindness or gentleness. It makes us want to be more like that person, doesn’t it?
There are people in my life, people in your life, who need to see and experience the overflow of Jesus from our lives. It could be that there is a soul who circles around your life who is just barely hanging on by a thread and needing a teaspoonful of kindness or forgiveness from you.
So, today I ask you to do a bit of soul searching. Quiet yourself before the Lord and ask Him to speak to you concerning who in your life might need a little or a lot of the following things from you. You might be able to place a different name beside each one, or perhaps the same person needs all of these things from you. Allow the Spirit to guide you, then write those names down and begin to look for ways to minister that specific attribute to that person.
Compassion
Faithfulness
Kindness
Humility
Gentleness
Love
Patience
Acceptance
Forgiveness
Friends, your Life Matters! This is one way that you and I can be salt and light in our generation and our family. I would love to hear from you if this post has spoken to your heart.
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