By Staff
There are many things that can change a life, and there are several directions life can go. The life changes that are most important are those that alter our eternal destiny, change us from grabbers to givers, from self-destructors to those who build up, from settlers to pilgrims, etc.
Life can be compared to a clock with a mainspring. When we are born, the mainspring is tightly wound and gradually winds down through the years until death takes over. Unless some source of power is infused into life, it will take the normal course of deterioration.
Not much can be done about the physical side. Even with clever manipulations, time will eventually win. The part of life that can be altered, renewed, and redirected is the spiritual side.
In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, chapter 14, verse 1, we read, "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." What is the trek from destroyer to builder?
The Apostle Paul is a New Testament character, who was transformed from a killer of Christians into a follower of Christ and a mighty apostle of the faith (Acts 22:4-5). What happened to Paul that changed his life?
Paul was confronted with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament epistle to the Romans, chapter 1, verse 16, Paul declares, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes . . . ." The power of God is the dynamic force of change. The gospel has the power to radically transform the most hardened sinner into the most dynamic, loving, forgiving, relational person imaginable.
Life in terms of energy is a closed system, like the clock with the mainspring. There is no rewinding of the mainspring apart from the power of God.
The universe we inhabit was created and is maintained by God (Colossians 1:16-17). The creation is a closed energy system; it is winding down. In opposition to the evolutionist who wrongly believes that life is moving upward, God declares of His creation in the book of Hebrews, chapter 1, verses 10-11, "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment."
The dynamic of a changed life is one that has been infused with the power of God through the gospel of God. It is called salvation; it is called grace; it is called the filling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). Whatever it is called, it is an infusion of power from the source of all power, Almighty God.
Grace, or power from on high, is not a once-for-all-time infusion that rewinds us. It is a continual source of power tapped into moment by moment as we live out our lives. A truly changed life will be one that has moved from dependence on ever depleting self-reserves to dependence on the never depleting power of God.
The purpose of life is not to accumulate stuff, nor to garner power and influence. The purpose of life is to glorify God. Glorifying God is not a mere raised hand in a so-called worship service; it is a declaration through attitude and lifestyle choices that God is God. It is as Abraham, the Old Testament patriarch, demonstrated: "[Abraham], contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations" (Romans 4:18).
If we are going to glorify God in this world, we have to put it "out there"-live and act by faith beyond human understanding and worldly wisdom. People need to look at our lives and ask, "How did they do that?"
The best thing is that the power of God is available to His children (John 1:12) who ask (Hebrews 4:16; Luke 11:13).
So what are we waiting for? Let our lives be changed and sustained in change by the power of God for the glory of God.