How Being Christian Changed My Relationships With People

Can God Modify People?

Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
2018 9 Mar

It'south amazing to await back even x years ago and run across how many things have completely inverse, while other things are exactly the aforementioned.

With things that have changed in my own life? 10 years ago my married woman and I had ane child and we were playing double coverage. Now we take four kids, and we're existence completely dominated.

Also around x years agone, I got my first cell phone. And what could I practise with it? Call people. At present my phone is smarter than I am. It tells me when to wake up. It tells me how much food I can and should eat. Information technology even reminds me to read my Bible, like information technology's a better Christian than I am.

Then some things are still the same, 10 years ago I was bald … and even after praying for x years I'm withal bald.

And the Cincinnati Bengals however haven't won a single playoff game (mainly because the Steelers are a bunch of cheaters.)

Simply seriously though, it's amazing to expect back at all the changes from 10 years ago, only also over the form of our lives.

More than time passing or the newest iPhone update, God is able to change our lives in crazy ways, ways that sometimes seem impossible.

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Can God change me? And you?

The answer: yeah!

The moment we start following Jesus every part of us changes.
Our words.
Our actions.
Our thoughts.
Desires.
Priorities.
Mental attitude.
Our relationships.
Our life every bit a whole.

We are no longer the same. God changes us.

Now this might audio like a beautiful thought—that we're changed by God—but how does it actually happen? Maybe y'all've wanted to change and you've tried to change. You've asked God to change you only it still seems similar y'all're the exact same person.

And then when it comes to being inverse by God, here are ii different truths to remember:

Photo courtesy: ©Unsplash

#1: It's about a relationship, not rules.

#ane: It'southward about a human relationship, not rules.

Often when we call up about being a Christian, nosotros presume that God merely wants u.s. to exercise the right things and not do the wrong things. So oft we turn being a Christian into a self-improvement plan, a moral code.

But with Jesus, it's nigh a relationship, not rules.

The more nosotros grow in our love and relationship with Jesus, and the closer we get to Him, the moreHe will begin to change u.s.a. from the inside out.

Photo courtesy: ©Unsplash

The more we grow in our love and relationship with Jesus, the more change will happen.

The more nosotros abound in our dear and human relationship with Jesus, the more alter will happen.

The more we grow in our love and human relationship with Jesus, and the closer we get to Him, the moreHe volition brainstorm to modify usa from the within out.

Instead of being bitter, we'll brainstorm to extend grace.
Instead of doing what we want, we'll begin to follow Jesus and His ways.
Instead of being critical and easily offended near everything, our life volition be filled with His joy and His peace.

We'll simply begin to want more and more of God in our life, and because of it our life will begin to alter.

Over again, it'south about a relationship, non rules.

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#ii: We need to kill our old self!

Sounds kind of intense, right? To be changed though, nosotros have to impale our old self!

Information technology's understanding that when we follow Jesus, our erstwhile cocky and the person we used to exist has been nailed to a cross, crucified with Christ. Considering of Jesus we're a made new, a new creation.

When I started following Jesus, my onetime self is expressionless, and I'grand non just a better person, I'1000 not just a self-improved person, simply so much more because of the cantankerous I'm made new. I am truly inverse past God.

Photo courtesy: ©Unsplash

You're not just "better", you're made new.

You're non merely "better", yous're made new.

I'm non just a better person, I'm not just a cocky-improved person, merely so much more because of the cantankerous I'm made new.

Part of being made new is getting rid of our old self, killing the person nosotros used to be.

It's like, Jesus, today I'chiliad following you, and annihilation in my life that's not pleasing to y'all, help me to leave information technology behind, help me to kill it.

Starting in my soul, if there's lies I'm believing.
Or things I'm holding on to.
Or if there's stuff I'm doing that I'yard convinced is okay merely it'due south not.
Jesus, please assist me non to be dainty, but to kill these things in my life.

Again, tin can God change you? Can God change me? Yes!

How do nosotros change? We need to impale our one-time self.

Bonus textile:

I just want to be upfront and say that these two things—making it about a relationship with Jesus, not rules and killing our old selves—will not exist easy. God is the 1 who changes us, starting on the inside, simply we practise play a part in being changed. And as we know in other areas of our life, making changes is not always fun or easy.

Information technology's not always easy.

Every bit we know in other areas of our life, making changes is not always fun or easy.

If it's most a human relationship non rules we need to go ourselves close to Jesus. Like on a regular basis we demand to spend time with God.

And when it comes to killing our former self, our quondam self volition endeavor annihilation to stick around. There might be parts of our old self that we really similar. We might have to surrender some things and people that nosotros genuinely bask.

And yet hear this: it's then worth it.

A life spent with Jesus is and so much ameliorate than any life we could observe on our own.

We are changed, we are made new by the I who set the stars in place.

Originally published on adamweber.com. Used with permission.

Adam Weber lives in Sioux Falls, S Dakota. He likes typewriters, drives a Rambler, cheers for the Cincinnati Bengals, has half-dozen chickens, and a dog named Daisy. He's the Lead Pastor of Embrace, an 11-yr-former church that has grown to half-dozen campuses in two states.He and his beautiful wife, Becky, accept four kids. Fun fact: He once fabricated worldwide news when a turkey vulture cruel out of the sky and onto his dorsum porch during an water ice storm. Google it.