What does a transformed life really look like?

by 0 Comments

We need to change.

All of us.

At the very least, each one of us needs to changed from being spiritually dead people to thriving as spiritually alive human beings, a possibility available to us only through Jesus Christ (Col. 1:13-14).

This kind of whole change doesn’t happen in the twinkling of an eye; true internal transformation happens over a lifetime.

And the kind of change God demands of us actually requires our cooperation. The Bible instructs us on changes God expects us to make, and enlightens us about the internal transforming work the Holy Spirit accomplishes in our lives. One problem we can create in all this changing/transforming process is that we become so focused on hitting markers that indicate change that we inhibit the vital transforming that needs to happen from the inside out. John Ortberg wrote about this issue in “True (and False) Transformation”:

    Conforming to boundary markers too often substitutes for authentic transformation.

    The church I grew up in had its boundary markers. A prideful or resentful pastor could have kept his job, but if ever the pastor was caught smoking a cigarette, he would’ve been fired. Not because anyone in the church actually thought smoking a worse sin than pride or resentment, but because smoking defined who was in our subculture and who wasn’t — it was a boundary marker.

    As I was growing up, having a “quiet time” became a boundary marker, a measure of spiritual growth. If someone had asked me about my spiritual life, I would immediately think, Have I been having regular and lengthy quiet time? My initial thought was not, Am I growing more loving toward God and toward people?

    Boundary markers change from culture to culture, but the dynamic remains the same. If people do not experience authentic transformation, then their faith will deteriorate into a search for the boundary markers that masquerade as evidence of a changed life.

So, what does this “authentic transformation” look like?

The Apostle Paul helps us answer that question. For example, look closely at what Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians:

“When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God,” Ephesians 3:14-19.

To be “… complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God …” sounds like a desirable change, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s more than that, it’s a transformation! And it’s the kind of transformation God is making possible in you:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline,” 2 Timothy 1:7.

Don’t settle for simple markers depicting some level of change; instead, cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He moves you toward becoming “… complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Scotty