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This week, Pastor Paul and I had the privilege of digging out and moving one of the new signs on the church property. When we did, the unfortunate thing was that we were left with an empty hole where the sign had been planted. So, naturally, we attempted to fill the hole by using the extra dirt around it and stomping down the old grass to make it look presentable. Although we got it looking decent, the reality is that it was only decent on the surface. The actual foundation of the ground beneath the surface was still in pretty rough condition.
This got me thinking: How often do we tend to do this in our walk with Christ? What I mean is, how often do we attempt to cover up and make our Christian lives look "presentable" on the outside without actually being transformed? I fear that, in my own heart, I can get caught up in viewing my outward actions as the indicator of how my Christian life is doing rather than looking inward at my heart. Now, don't get me wrong—the fruit, or actions, of our lives does matter, and it often indicates what we truly live for. James was clear about this. However, producing "good" actions on the outside with little to no heart change behind them is not the goal. When we live like this, we're merely covering our sinfulness rather than getting to the root of it.
It's important to understand that this is not what Christ came to do. He didn't come to renovate our wicked hearts and simply cover up some sin; He came to completely tear down our old hearts and give us new ones. Ezekiel 36:26 says, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."
Just as God made this promise to Israel, the same principle applies to those of us who are in Christ. Jesus came to save us from our sins and put an entirely new heart within us.
Just as covering up the old hole in the yard with some grass didn't transform it into something new, simply doing the "works of God"—like reading our Bibles, going to church, or serving in ministry—won't transform us into something new either.
Now, this isn't to say that being part of your local church and spending time in God's Word aren't important. In fact, those are the primary means through which God transforms us. But if we do those things simply to check off a list rather than viewing them as opportunities to be changed by the Spirit, then we've missed the mark. Simply attending a church service and reading a chapter of the Bible every once in a while will only change you at the surface level. It's only when we surrender our entire being to Christ as Lord that we'll begin to be truly transformed into His image.
So here's what I want us to ponder today: Are you merely going through the motions of the Christian life—showing up to church for an hour, reading a chapter of the Bible each day, and checking the boxes—or are you being transformed at the heart level?
Even though you may look like a good Christian from the outside, that doesn't automatically mean you or I are being radically transformed by Jesus. So my challenge for us this week is this: Let's be people who desire not just to look like good Christians on the surface but to be people who genuinely seek to be transformed at the heart level by Jesus and His Word.
Serving Together,
Bro. Luke