Change

Knowing Jesus ... meeting Jesus ... changes lives. If you really meet Him and know Him, you're life will never be the same again. That's why some people don't want to accept him. It means that they can't go on living their lives the way they've always lived them. Just look at Mark 5.

 

Jesus and His disciples come upon a man possessed by demons. Plural. Many. A legion of demons, in fact. Jesus (well, being Jesus) casts the demons out of the man, but allows the demons to enter a herd of pigs nearby. The herd of pigs then runs of a cliff and dies. Then, the pig herders go running into the town to tell everyone what happened ...

 

Did they say: "Hey, come see the man who cast the demons out of that crazy guy! He's amazing! What power and authority He must have to be able to do that!"

 

No.

 

They went into the village to complain. They obviously knew that Jesus was "responsible" for the death of the pigs (meaning that He had allowed the demons to enter the herd and destroy them), because the people came running out to beg Jesus to leave. They didn't want Him there. They didn't want Him doing His thing there. They didn't want to have anything to do with Him and what He was all about.

 

Some people fear change. Change means dealing with the unfamiliar, which can be uncomfortable. Change can often be painful and difficult.

 

It takes a lot of work for a fat caterpillar to change into a delicate butterfly. I don't know if it's painful ... but it does take a lot of work on the part of the caterpillar. And it's time consuming. No doubt, it would be a lot easier for a caterpillar to stay a caterpillar. To just spend it's time filling its tummy. But think of how much it would miss out on if it didn't go through the process and change into a butterfly! Not to mention the fact that it would be failing to fulfill it's purpose as a caterpillar.

 

What those who fear change don't take into account are all of the rewards that can come from change. Change isn't always for the best. But when it's brought about by Jesus, it definitely is!

 

Among other things, Jesus brings freedom (Romans 6:18; Galatians 5:1a) ...

     peace (John 14:27; Romans 5:1-2a; Ephesians 2:13-18) ... 

     joy (Matthew 13:44; John 15:10-11) ... 

     and everlasting life (Matthew 19:29; John 3:14-16; Romans 6:22-23**)!

 

Jesus helps us to become the people that we were always meant to be.

 

Personally, I don't want to stay a fat caterpillar. And thanks to Jesus, I am being transformed daily (2 Corinthians 4:16). Praise God! It isn't always easy. And I still mess up. But I'm getting there.

 

"... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

 

 

 

 

 

** These passages (all of them) are only samples. There are tons more where those came from. It's all over the Bible ... check it out!