It's your life that must change, not your skin... What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? (3:8-9)At these words, the crowd asks, "how?" They want to know how to experience this life change and he points them to behavioral change, particularly in the area of physical provisions. Give away your coat and food. Do not extort money. Do not shakedown or blackmail. Be content with your rations. (3:10-14). The people were attracted to John's instructions. They seemed right, they were do-able. John had their attention, they liked what they heard and they wanted to place him on a pedestal, wondering if he was the Messiah.
I was a little surprised at this first part of John's response. It appears to be outwardly focused not about heart change. Is generosity and integrity all that's required to have a blossoming life?
But John intervened: 'I'm baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.' (3:16)So, outward change isn't really what he was talking about. John wasn't merely asking them to do what they could do in their own power. The behaviors he mentioned aren't prescriptive, they aren't the definitive answer to the question.
"Hear this: you can become apparently mature without My Spirit's power. Human effort is sufficient. But I find no pleasure in what it produces. Peace will come to earth only when I find pleasure in all its inhabitants (Luke 2:14). And that will not happen until everyone is perfectly mature, formed exactly like My Son. Movement toward that desire requires the power of My Spirit, to divide and expose the two roads within you (Luke 12:51) and lead you to wish forward on the right one - the narrow one - to follow in My Son's footsteps." (66LL)Father, You know how I am like the crowd following John around - wanting the answer to "how", looking for a list of what to do to change and secretly hoping that its within my own power to make it happen. Thank You for continually frustrating my plans. Thank You for Your relentless pursuit of me to form me into the likeness of Your Son and by providing the power of the Holy Spirit residing in me to produce real life change that I could never manage on my own.
2 comments:
This is interesting timing because I just attended a Bible study on the book of Mark last night and we discussed the challenge of being religious versus real heart change. We recognized that following the Law is much easier in some ways. We can check things off, we have black and white answers for what we can and can't do, we have clear boundaries and we are in control. We, we, we...is where the emphasis lies.
But with real heart change, things are gray. There isn't a list of things to do to check off in terms of dealing with my anger, envy, selfishness, etc. There isn't a certain amount of fasting and praying that will just magically get rid of these. Ultimately, there's nothing I can do about any of the junk in my own heart. I need Jesus to change me, from the inside out.
The deeper I walk with the Lord, the more I realize how much harder it is to experience true heart change. Outward behavior can be so fixable sometimes (not always!) while inward motives, thoughts and emotions are so much more complex.
Lord Jesus...change me from the inside out. I need a complete heart transplant and I see that more and more each day. Thank YOU for showing us that we could never do anything to fix our own hearts...but You did it for us!
I'm wondering today why its so hard to accept His grace. This week starts a new chapter of this year for me, a new semester and i made all these plans for change. Hoping they would change my heart too. But I just keep forgetting to pray for God to change my attitude and heart. I keep focusing on the actions in this plan. But i keep focusing on how i know i will fail in many ways and look ahead with discouragement & unwillingness.
And today I woke up with horrible cramps and couldn't move so of course, my action plan failed, my success feels discouraging and I'm reluctant to accept His grace in this showing me that I can't be perfect on my own with my own plan. But its ok. And life feels hard and not in my control now. I just want to make everything better. My community of sisters that God so graciously have given me recently in answer to prayer have encouraged me to just continue trusting in His plan. My plan wasnt any good anyway.
Praying for trust in His Spirit in me today to lead me, to guide me, to teach me, to give me peace and help me to accept His grace. To change me from the inside out. Thankful to John the baptist who points not to himself but to Him- Jesus' coming.
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