“Your life is what you make of it.” This statement is made by a lot of successful people and warrants our attention. Can we really make our life anything we want it to be? Can I be the starting center for the Boston Celtics if I just work hard enough? Can I become a millionaire, president, or 6’3’’ with enough determination and effort on my part? Obviously, there are some things we are stuck with because of our genetics but there are many things in life which can change with the help of Jesus Christ.
Throughout scripture there are men and women who were radically changed by answering God’s call to repentance. “Repentance” means a change of direction to a new way of living. Paul was a Pharisee and persecutor of the church but repented from such a life after his encounter with Christ, becoming a great apostle and missionary of the early church. Matthew was a tax collector, dishonest and a thief but after an encounter with Jesus he repented, becoming an apostle and eventual martyr for the faith. Mary Magdalene was a woman of low morals and reputation until she met Jesus and became a great woman of faith. She was greatly honored by God to be the first to report the resurrection of Jesus to the disciples! Each of us can experience change in our life but the power for real, lasting, significant change, comes with through an encounter with Jesus Christ which leads to repentance.
Are you living the kind of life God wants you to have? Is there something about your character or vocation which Jesus wants to change? Are you willing to allow Christ the opportunity to radically change you? Are you willing to repent? Our part in the process for real change is the submission of our life and will to the God who created us. In doing so, we become far more than we could ever have imagined for ourselves. Paul thought he was serving God by persecuting the church but found true service to God through relationship and service to the Jesus he was persecuting. Paul’s heart found joy and significance far beyond anything he could have found in his own plans. Mary Magdalene’s search for significance and love was found in a relationship with God. Matthew found true riches and a life of honor in his role as disciple of Jesus Christ. Whatever it is we have planned for ourselves pales in comparison to what God has in mind for us.
The hopes, dreams and passions God has placed in our heart find their greatest fulfillment in the plans God has for us! Be ready when God tweaks or radically changes the plans you have made for yourself! Repent, follow His plans and fully experience the abundant life God has in store for you!
