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I want to have a new life. I want to live the life of Jesus Christ, Him in me and through me.

But how?

“Read the Bible”
“Pray”
“Go to church”
“umm… read the Bible?”
– Johnny and Sally Know-It-All

But how do I change my attitude? My habits? My characteristics? My sinful practices? My skills? My diligence? My heart? My inside? My treatment of others? My words? My thoughts? My mind? My soul? My following? My friends? My choices? My actions? How?

“Well, you don’t change yourself, Jesus changes You”
– Sally Know-It-All

But God gives us free will. It says in James that if I draw near to God, He will draw near to me. What I do affects what He does. So if I want Him to change me (it’s true- that’s the big thing) I have to work at changing myself. It says in 1st John that we will be like Him when He returns, and that everyone who has this hope purifies himself. He is going to do the job, but within Him working, we work. He uses us to do His work.

So how can I change?

“Ask WWJD. What would Jesus do?”
– Johnny Know-it-all

Well, what if I don’t know what a Jewish carpenter/teacher from the 1st century of Israel would think.

“Silly, Jesus is God. Just ask: What Would God do?”
– Sally Know-It-All

Yeah, but we know that God does everything right, right? Okay, so no matter what He does, he doesn’t have to worry about doing anything wrong, right? Well, I’m not God. And while I can ask “What Would God Do?” (WWGD… hmm… not as catchy as WWJD), I really can’t answer that.

“Well that’s why you read your Bible, pray, and go to church”
– Johnny and Sally in Unison

Yeah, but that aside, say I have read and studied and prayed and talked and listened and learned and have done all that. So when it comes to the regular school day, how do I know what to do? I suppose I am supposed to suppose the personification of a perfect being, right? Okay…

• Checklist
• Do everything right
• Follow every instruction
• Obey every leader
• Love everyone
• Speak the truth
• Be holy and righteous

Wait, so what do I do when the teacher tells us to work in our books and someone asks for help and I know I shouldn’t talk but I know I should help, so what do I do? Brain defunction!!!

“Hmm… that’s a tricky one. Why don’t you pray about it?”- Johnny

Okay, so I pray. I don’t get an answer. What then?

“Um… do what the Bible says?”- Sally

I don’t remember any verses about doing homework and assisting a classmate. What about some help from today?

“Um… church?”- Johnny (gulp!)

Yeah, but the pastor has never brought this situation up. If I obey, I don’t love. If I love, I disobey. If I disobey, I don’t love, and If I love, I obey. what do I do?

“Wait… what… hold on… did you get that… um… um… BRAIN DEFUNCTION! BRAIN DEFUNCTION!”- Sally and Johnny drop to the floor, their heads crack open, revealing their robot brains within

So now the Know-It-Alls are gone, let’s really think. How can I be more like Christ?

In Obedience versus Love what did He choose?- LOVE. Not that he disobeyed (somehow he managed against those rules), but he always chose to love others (even loving the Pharisees by showing them all their mess, i believe)

In Being Quiet versus Being Loud, what did He choose? LOUDNESS. He spoke out against the bad, but what about with people outside his circle or the less mature people. He didn’t speak out against their sin, first He loved. He was loud and present, but not annoying (except maybe the Pharisees

In Serving versus Being Taken Advantage of– He SERVED. I’m always afraid of being taken advantage of, when I give money or help others, but really, Jesus offers to be taken advantage of. He gives water and bread without end, the Spirit without limit, He goes the extra mile, He pours out His being for the world… I can pour mine out too, right?

In Reading the Bible versus Getting Involved in others– He chose to GET INVOLVED. Sometimes I feel like sitting and reading my Bible instead of talking to people. Now, reading God’s Word is always good, but if you look at Jesus, he chose to be one on one with God at certain times, but He knew that his ministry, his whole reason for being there was to bring in people. I have that mission too.

In Blending in versus Standing Out, he STOOD OUT. Yes, he sometimes slipped among people and had a face that didn’t stand out, but when He had the choice, He chose to be an example, a teacher, a leader, a sore thumb, a bright light, a bright red polka dot amongst a sheet of gray fabric. How can I stand out?

The thing is, how can Jesus be seen in me? Jesus had it easy. He was Jesus. His being was His own. He did not have to empty himself to put on Christ Jesus or have an attitude like Jesus Christ. Jesus was Jesus. But I’m not. I’m Evan. I have the body, the soul, the spirit, the mind, the attitude, the character, the self, the being of Evan. What am I supposed to do? Empty myself and fill myself with the life of a Jewish Carpenter? That would be great, but really, how can I do it? Can I hold on to my feelings, my likes, my skills, talents, abilities, gifts? Do I have to lose everything and take it back up again?

Am I more like a glass of milk that is poured out and then filled with chocolate milk, or am I milk that has chocolate syrup poured in me to make me more and more chocolatey. In the first, the emptying and the filling couldn’t be gradual, because the milk would slip out of the glass and cling to the outside. It would have to be one fell swoop- Out Me, In Jesus. But with the second, I am still the certain milk with the certain flavor, certain feel, certain being- then the chocolate comes in, sweeter than anything, and intensifies my being. The chocolate makes me sweeter, thicker, stronger, darker, better.

So, am I Jesus in Evan’s skin or Evan with the being of Jesus flowing into me? How does it flow? By reading God’s Word, taking pieces, eating it, chewing it over and letting it become part of me. By praying and relaxing and talking to Him, opening my heart and soul to Him to let the chocolate pour in. By replacing all my bad things- habits, interests, sins- with good things. By looking at certain qualities in the Bible and trying to improve myself in that area. By getting involved with other people so that I can breathe in God’s love as He hovers over them. By losing my energy running after Him so that when I catch Him and have times of worship and intimacy, I am charged back up again.

So, is it true? Can I really be me with Jesus? Can we be two in one? Can I still be me? Can I be my milk?

I want a new life. So God pour into me Your Life, so that all the scum floating at the top of my milk would go away and be washed away. Chocolatify me so that I taste and smell more like You!!!

 

http://geniusandlunacy.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-do-you-change-little-things-to.html