“I am tired of being stirred, but not changed.” ~ anonymous church member
Being a Christian is the greatest privilege we have in life. Some people haven’t accepted the offer. But some of us have and have a personal relationship with Jesus.
But what is the deciding factor of having a working relationship with the Savior? What is it that He wants from His followers? Is it enough to simply believe in His existence? Or are there things we must do?“There is no reason to be scared to get out of our comfort zones and do the work of Christ.”
In the modern world of Christianity, everything is about comfort and feelings. It is believed that we can live, in full accordance with the Will of God, in comfort on our pews, silently doing nothing.
Why do we believe we are okay to not do anything for the cause of Christ? Why do we think we can sit silently on our pews and let others do the work? Are we scared or afraid? If we are, why? 2 Timothy 1:7 says,
7) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
There is no reason to be scared to get out of our comfort zones and do the work of Christ.
Are we afraid to suffer for the cause of Christ? Are we afraid of what man may do to us? If so, why is that a concern? Paul says,
29) For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Philippians 1:29 (KJV)
Also,
28) And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.Matthew 10:28 (KJV)
As a Christian, even if your body is killed…
8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.2 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV)
Paul the Apostle was beaten, so many times, for the cause of Christ. He was imprisoned; he was misunderstood. Peter was imprisoned. John was exiled. So many followers of Christ, over the years, have been persecuted, tormented, and even martyred, for the sake of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.“Why would we think that our lives need not change, or will not change, when we accept Christ?”
Why should we shun the honor of being treated in the same manner as these amazing saints of God?
Why would we think that our lives need not change, or will not change, when we accept Christ? In an attempt to live in comfort, we want everything in our lives to stay the same.
We want it to be as if nothing has happened to us. But every time you add something to another, the make-up changes – and, therefore, the actions change.
Take, for example, one of the most common chemical bonds – H2O. Two Hydrogen atoms, and one Oxygen atom.
Hydrogen and Oxygen are gases. They float around, free and flying. They are very flammable and are always bouncing around everywhere.
But when they come together, into the H2O molecule, their entire composition changes – because instead of being separate gases, they become a molecule of liquid. “When Jesus comes in, we need to be prepared for change. We need to let our whole composition be altered.”
As such, the motions change. Instead of bouncing around everywhere and being very flammable, it runs downhill only, and is one of the least flammable substances – one which we use to extinguish fires.
We should be willing and eager for our lives to take as drastic a change as that water molecule. When Jesus comes in, we need to be prepared for change. We need to let our whole composition be altered.
How many times do we hear things that convict us, yet we are not changed in any way? Our mind and emotions are moved and stirred, but our lives show no evidence of Christ’s work or presence.
A church lady once said, “I am tired of being stirred, but not changed.” She sounds like she was ready for an alteration. But how?
Simply inviting Jesus in is not enough. We must allow Him to make a difference.
Picture this: you, and your life, are a spoonful of salt. Inviting Jesus in, alone, with no change, is like dumping that spoonful of salt into a cup of sand and stirring it thoroughly.“In the Bible, we, Christians, are referred to as ‘the salt of the earth,’ and Jesus is known as the ‘Living Water.'”
It will be all mixed up, but there is truly no change. You still just have sand and salt. But if you were able to dissolve the salt, the game plan changes.
Being changed when you accept Jesus would be like this: you, and your life, are still that spoonful of salt. But this time, Jesus comes as a cup of water. You pour the spoonful of salt into the cup of water and stir it well. The physical properties changed.
No longer do you have salt, and plain water, which boils at 212℉, but now you have a saline solution, which boils at a higher temperature of 216℉ or higher.
The action of the water was different after mixing the salt into it, and so was the salt. Simply stirring the salt into something, such as the sand, was of no assistance; however, through dissolving the salt into the water, an amazing change was enacted. The chemical composition was altered.
The Bible refers to Christians as “the salt of the earth,” and Jesus as the “Living Water.”
Living water is different than regular water. A pond, which is standing – sometimes stagnant – water, is different than living water. Living water is running – it is moving.
Living water would be something like a spring, constantly bubbling, constantly moving, constantly running. If you pour the salt into the living water of the spring, the bubbling motion will automatically, and thoroughly, mix the salt into the water, and dissolve.“Belief, without change in faith, is not full following.”
So it is in our Christian life. Take the water and salt picture further – add the salt of our lives into the Living Water of our Savior – and see what happens when we are thoroughly engulfed and intertwined in God’s Will.
Simply saying we know Jesus, and that we have Him in our lives, isn’t enough. Belief, without change in faith, is not full following. James 2:19 says,
19) Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.James 2:19(KJV)
There needs to be a change in our lives. An obvious change. A drastic change. A change that we stick to and keep with us for our whole lives.
Simply being stirred is not enough. We must be changed. It is something we must make a conscious decision to do. Resolve to be dissolved.
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