Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Well my people, it’s a beautiful late summer Saturday, ideal for lazing. (smile) And earlier on, I enjoyed some lazy time lolling around in my bed, although my back was aching, recommending my getting up. But it was just nice to lie there, contemplating life for a while, thanking the Lord for opening my eyes to another day in which I could enjoy His new mercies and compassions. Now isn’t that a great way to greet the day? It certainly is! A bit of peace and quiet before the busyness of the day gets into your spirit.
But as they say, good things do come to an end, and eventually I had to get up and be about the Lord’s business, which on Saturdays, means checking out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And this first quote is very interesting and mind-bending. It says: ‘Change, like healing, takes time.’ That’s the gospel truth friends. A lot of us desire change, but expect it to come as soon as we wish for it, but just like our wounds, physical or emotional don’t heal suddenly or overnight, change doesn’t usually occur in a split instance, although there are instances when it can.
And I do like what the opening paragraph of an article on change says on the website bibletools.com/ topical verses. ‘What does the Bible say about change and how can it inspire us in times of change? There seems to always be a guarantee in life that change will happen. Change is something we tend to fear and become anxious about because we do not feel in control of life. The good news is that God has a plan for your life that includes hope, future, and prosperity. We need to learn to trust in God and allow the change to grow us to become more like Jesus Christ.’
Now that’s the truth in spades my faithful brethren! Why? Because our most faithful and powerful God has promised that change, though inevitable throughout life, with sincere trust and faith in Him it will not deter us from our planned purpose in His will. This foundational verse says it all. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Yes friends, if we believe in Almighty God, then although we might not want or need change, when it does happen, we will not be afraid since we know that in the end, over time, which therefore calls for patience and perseverance, it will all work out for our good through the Lord’s goodness and mercy. That brings us to this next quote. ‘Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.’ That’s wisdom to the nth degree!
It’s all well and good to desire to change the world, but before we do the big things, most of us are first required to do the small things, like change ourselves. We all have areas in which we can improve, and that’s where we need to begin. It’s like Jesus said, why consider the mote or speck in your brother’s eye, and not the beam or log in your own. (Matt. 7:3) And we all do that at some time or other. But it’s always best to consider what changes we need before trying to change others. And these verses of scripture lead us along the right path to good and consistent change.
Bruh Paul writes to the church at Rome: ‘And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) And he hit the nail right on the head there, for change can only come through the renewing of one’s mind, or changing the way one thinks, because our mind is the controlling centre of our body, everything passes through there before it becomes a reality. Cousin Sol said it long ago: ‘As a man thinks, so is he.’ (Prov. 23:7)
And the best change we can ever make in our lives is to become a follower of Jesus Christ, which brings us into an entirely new dimension of life, a spirit-filled experience. Oh yes, once we encounter Christ, it’s whole new ball game. As Bruh Paul says in 2 Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
Yes mih people, when you come to Christ you become a new person! But note, like we said of healing above, that change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a while for you to understand, accept and put into practice the new aspects of life in Christ. In fact it’s a life journey. Like babies drink milk and soft foods at the beginning of life, so too, as new believers, early on, we handle the easier aspects of our transformation, but as we live out our faith, we daily become more mature in it.
That allows us to segue into this next quote. ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?’ Those are all good questions my brethren, so let’s see if we can answer them. The first one is the easiest and the best. You don’t need to be for yourself, because Almighty God is always there for you! It says it right there in the scriptures: ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Rom. 8:31) Not a single soul can be against us if God is for us! That’s the living truth! But you first have to be for Him.
And per the next question; if you’re only concerned with yourself then you’re selfish, and not a sincere believer in Christ Jesus, because Christ didn’t have a selfish bone in His body, else He never would have sacrificed His life for us. And that is where the transformation, the changing and renewal of your mind comes in to play, because to follow Jesus we have to be willing to sacrifice everything we have, even our lives. And as always, the best time to initiate necessary change is RIGHT NOW! If we know we need to change, and how to make it, then there’s no need to put it off for later. The sooner we implement that change, the sooner our lives will improve.
Then there’s this last quote. ‘Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.’ More glorious, though heart-hurting truth! (smile) Things are continually changing, both inside and outside. One of those changes is that friends leave us, sometimes suddenly, and ofttimes we don’t even know why. But it happens, and we just have to learn to deal with it. And again, LOVED ones die and leave us behind. We grieve, but we must carry on, because the world and life doesn’t stop for anybody. That’s just a fact of life.
And the best way to handle all the change, all the topsy turviness in our world is to be a sincere follower of Jesus Christ, because He will lead and guide you through all the changes and storms, and comfort and LOVE you when you need it, through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit that comes to live with you when you accept Him as Lord and Saviour. Wow! That tells us that the best way to handle this life is by having Jesus as the mainstay of our lives! But don’t just take my word for it; try it. you’ll find it’s oh so true! Much LOVE!
…you can’t critique or criticize Jesus…until you try Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
SCRIP-BITS 