Tuesday, August 4, 1998
Tuesday, August 4, 1998
We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might
be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. (Romans 6:6
NRSV)
It is interesting to note that after Paul's conversion, he did not go immediately to Jerusalem.
Instead he went away to Arabia and then returned to Damascus. It was three years before he went
to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas (Peter) and the other Apostles. Evidently Paul needed time to
assess what had taken place in his life. He needed time to work on developing Godly habits. To
paraphrase Mark Twain: Habits can't be flung out the window; they have to be coaxed
downstairs, a step at a time.
At a certain school board meeting, one of the prime targets of discussion was the untidiness and
sloppy appearance of the janitor. The consensus was that he should be fired. However, a kindly
older lady on the board pleaded on his behalf. "I hate to see the old fellow fired," she said. "He
may be a little dirty and unkempt on the outside, but I'm sure he's clean and pure on the inside. Do
we really have to discharge him?"
"Either that," replied the president of the board, "or turn him inside out." Maybe that's what some
of us need. We need to be turned inside out. Changing old habits is not easy. And most of us
fight such changes tooth and nail. The primary reason we are not everything Christ calls us to be
is that we really would prefer to stay where we are. Change is possible if we allow Christ to
transform us into the image of God.
Prayer: God of all things, change me into what you want me to be, and move me from
my comfort zone. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA