Ready For A Change?

As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. [Genesis 25.27-28]

Not too many years ago, Jacob would have been called a "sissy." Of course that is not politically correct by today's standards so, the most accurate description of  Jacob now is that he was a "momma's boy" (and some still frown on that expression).

Not only was Jacob a momma's boy, but he also struggled to function by the integrity of truth. Plainly put, as Esau described him and his mother was a party to, Jacob was a deceiver.

Jacob is Israel.

For everyone who comes to God 'as they are,' it remains a universal truth that God loves them too much to leave them that way. This universal truth would catch up to Jacob as he eventually focused more on his relationship to God.

Without going into great detail, I want to point out that this same 'momma's boy' described accurately above is one and the same as the one who would eventually wrestle all night and prevail with the Angel of the LORD! Talk about transformation!

Many times we fall into the trap of saying, "God made me this way..." and therefore console ourselves that that is just the way it is and always will be. But we do not have any Biblical support for such a response. Any person who comes to God in earnest will be changed. Again, it is a universal truth when dealing with God. The Bible is full of examples of people turning to God and God then transforming their lives into something powerful and useful to His Kingdom purpose.

The problem with our modern culture is that it has adopted ideologies that teach us to not only accept our disposition in life but to furthermore embrace "who we are" in pride. A popular phrase we often hear today is, "You do you." But God never suggested such.

We should take the stories of Bible characters like Jacob as evidence of the need for change in our own lives as we pursue God. Furthermore, as the Bible unfolds, we will see that we are not left "open-ended" for what that change will look like, but very clearly informed that a life fully submitted to God will look and act like Jesus Christ the Messiah.

Whether it is a non-imposing person who could never see themselves as disciple-maker, or a sexually deviant person who resigns to "the fact" that that's just the way they are, both have failed miserably to see that God loves them too much to leave them as they are. Change is what God does and what He does best. After all, He spoke into nothingness and created everything.

The Bible faithfully shows us the need for change in our lives. Likewise, the Bible presents Jesus as the "Changer." Our part is to submit to Him - He will do the rest in making our lives like His.

Ready for a change?

Father, thank You for not leaving me like You found me, but instead, constantly changing me to be like Christ. Forgive me for my constant resistance - I want to fully submit to You.