Summary: Have you ever wished you could go back and change a past conversation and say things differently? Amber shares about one that she would change.
A few years ago, a relative of mine accepted Jesus as his Savior. It was very exciting for me to hear of that happening and I got a chance to talk with him after his conversion. He had some concerns, however, because he had been living a sinful lifestyle and didnt know how he could change his ways completely. He was told by some since he was now a Christian he couldnt do the things he had been doing before. There was a list of dos and donts that he was to adhere to. I wasnt sure what to tell him at the time because yes, those things that he had been doing were sins. Those choices were definitely not Gods best for him. But when we are given a list of rules of things we have to do when we become a Christian, it puts us in bondage. It leads to condemnation when we mess up. It puts us back under the law mentality that we have to do everything right to please God, and places the burden back on our shoulders.
If I had it to do over, I would tell him something like this: I am all for right living. Yes, the lifestyle that you have been living isnt one that brings glory to God, and it definitely isnt the best for you. But I dont want you to focus on that. I dont want you to look at everything you need to do. Instead, I want you to look at Jesus and everything He has done for you. Proverbs 37:3 says to dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. I want you to feed on the faithfulness of Jesus. Notice, it doesnt say feed on your faithfulness to Him. But when you feed on His faithfulness to you, your faithfulness to him will come as a byproduct of receiving His faithfulness to you. Just like your love for Him will come when you know how much He loves you (1 John 4:19). Draw from the fact that this innocent Jesus not only took our sins, but in return gave us His righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21). It doesnt say He gave us His righteousness (right standing with God) when we do everything right. None of us will ever do everything right. Even when we are in the midst of messing up He is still imputing His righteousness towards us. Did we do anything to deserve that? No, we didnt. That is the grace of God. It is His unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor towards us. When you meditate on that fact it will empower you to live a victorious life for Jesus. And instead of pushing away Gods love because you dont feel good enough or that you dont deserve it, it will allow you to receive His incredible love for you. Many people push Jesus away after they have sinned, because they dont feel worthy to receive His love. The fact is, none of us, in and of ourselves, are deserving of Gods love. But that didnt stop Jesus from hanging on that cross for all of us, and He did it while we were still sinners – Romans 5:8. Allow Jesus to love you right where you are at. Feed on His amazing love for you by getting in the word and soaking it all up. I can tell you from experience, when you allow God to love you, and dont push it away because you dont think you arent good enough, your natural response will be to love Jesus in return.
And you know those bad habits that you think you wont be able to break? When you keep your eyes on Jesus, and get into His word, He will change your desires. Psalms 37:4 says to Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. That means that He will literally put His desires into your heart. Second Corinthians 3:18 states: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the spirit of the Lord.
When you behold Jesus and His grace and love towards you, He will transform you. So dont fight in your own strength to break those bad habits or look at all you have to do now that you are a Christian. The main thing I want you to do is just allow Jesus to love you and always keep your focus on Him!
(Questions or comments? Amber can be reached at amberdeemiller32@gmail.com)
