Tuesday, January 23, 2007

It's All About Change

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2Co 5:17)

There is frog that lives in a room downstairs. It is a room that our preschool uses here at Bible Center Church. That is a picture of him above (I assume it is a him). He is an African Clawed frog (Xenopus Laevis). He came to be with us as part of teaching series with the kids and came in the form of a cleverly designed and marketed product called – “Grow a Frog Kit.” The kit consists of a small plastic box, food, decorations and a grow-a-frog tadpole. The kids got to watch as the tadpole changed into a "froglet" and on into the final African clawed frog form. This was a hit with the kids and now, a couple of years later, the frog has moved to successively bigger homes and now swims and entertains a new class of preschoolers. All of this got me thinking (a good thing to do) that if I were to measure my spiritual change - would I still be in the tadpole stage, or maybe even a "froglet?"

Wherever I may be, I can make a couple of observations: One - Change is the norm of Christian living and experience. I have been made new positionally in Christ and practically I need to continue to change. Two - just like the former tadpole needs the correct environment and nutrition to complete the change so do I and so do you. As I remind myself may I also challenge you to keep a watch on your environment by ensuring you are sharing life with other believers and you are avoiding harmful influences in your environment. Secondly may I challenge all of you tadpoles, froglets, frogs and friends with this question: how is your spiritual diet? Maybe it is time to truly feast on God's Word. It is a must for change and change we must.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Time

“With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer” Luke 22:15

Often others do not have time for us and often we do not have time for others. Even worse sometimes it is not a matter of time but of desire. We really don’t want to be with others when they really need us. On the night before His crucifixion, at this last Passover, Jesus desired to be with the followers. He expressed this in words and then demonstrated His heart for them by using the Passover elements to show His coming sacrifice. The broken body, symbolized by the bread was for them. The shed blood symbolized by the cup was for them. Even in a moment where it might be expected he would be self-absorbed, Jesus heart took Him beyond His own suffering to reach out to His needy followers.

Jesus is not a remote Savior but One who desires to fellowship with us. It would be prudent of us to so order our lives that we have adequate time to spend with Him. There is not substitute for unhurried time to meditate and commune with the Savior.