Don’t Wear Your High School Letter Jacket When You Are 40!

Read: Acts 9:19-25

“Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” (v.22)

God’s intention for HIS work in your life is TRANSFORMATION. Your transformed life is the very PROOF that Jesus truly is the anointed one of God. (v.22) God’s goal is to increase your strength… your emotional strength… your spiritual strength… your physical strength… the strength of your faith… all of it! God is STRENGTHENING his children and transforming them because our radically changed lives are what prove that Jesus is the Christ.

This transformation happens at a different pace for everyone. In some seasons of your life it will be somewhat slow… incremental. At some points it will be quite fast… “drastic”. (Think of Peter following Jesus for three years vs. Saul having a radical “road to Damascus” moment.) No two stories are identical. Some transformation is very visible from the outside. Other parts happen deep within and take a while for people to notice… even for you yourself to notice! It looks different for everyone, but: “… I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6) God is committed to finishing the work he started in you. As a child of God, you cannot remain the same year in and year out.

Not everyone will like it: “When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him…” (v.23) These people used to be Saul’s friends. They looked up to him. They listened to him. (Remember how they laid their cloaks at his feet in Jerusalem!? cf. Acts 7:58) Now they want to kill him. It may be hard to face, but it is very likely that your transformation will come with some tension and - at times- some severed relationships. The enemy does not relish letting go of his influence on us. Our transformation will cost us. But once again, we need not be afraid as God is STRENGTHENING us. This is why transformation, new identity, and strengthening go hand in hand.

This new year will be a year of transformation for you and for me. It has to be. God is proving Christ in and through YOU. It is HIS desire and goal to strengthen and transform you from the inside out. You are being made a NEW CREATION in Christ. Have your old friends become enemies? Take heart, you are not alone. Do you feel tired and weak? God is strengthening you… even right now… at this very moment… as you read his word and spend time with him. “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” (Heb. 12:12) You cannot stay the same. You don’t want to stay the same. Trust me… nothing is more pathetic than someone caught in the past! (Imagine the 50 year old who still acts like a high schooler and incessantly talks about his senior year game winning pass! lol) What are some of the ways God has transformed you? Write them down. Ask someone close to you to tell you what they see. This is PROOF that Jesus is real. What are the ways you would like to change? Write those down as well. Ask the Lord to work in these areas. Share these with those close to you that they may pry and be a part of watching this “proof of Christ” grow right before their eyes in you. This is the hardest one: ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO REVEAL HOW GOD WANTS YOU TO CHANGE. Do not run away from this holy conviction. It may not always be easy… but it is ALWAYS FOR THE BETTER… it is always GOOD. This is not cliche’ “new year’s resolutions” … this is the noble and true work of being used by God to prove Jesus is truly the way, the truth, and the life. (cf. John 14) As my friend David Setzer said to me yesterday, “this year is going to be great!” Love you guys. - JDP