Changed By Christ

“But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” - 2 Timothy 1:10-12 
 
Whenever we try to make a change in our lives, we typically try to change from the outside in. We change our appearance, we change our habits, and we change our routines. But typically none of those changes stick unless we change our heart and our mindset first, because outward change is typically a reflection of adjustments we make on the inside.  
 
That is what is so different and so special about what happens when you enter into a relationship with Jesus and begin to walk with Him. He doesn’t change you from the outside in, rather He changes you from the inside out and gives you new desires and a new outlook on life.  
 
Think about what happened with the disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection. During the crucifixion of Jesus, all but one of the disciples ran away to hide. They were terrified that they were going to be persecuted and killed for being associated with the Messiah. They were cowards.  
 
But after Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples were given a new found sense of courage and confidence in being Christ followers, so much so that many of them ended up dying horribly gruesome, humiliating deaths because they refused to turn their backs on Jesus. Nathanael was skinned alive. James was dragged through cobblestone streets to his death. Peter was crucified upside down. And that’s just a few of the many men who courageously stood up for their faith and their Savior.  
 
The only person who could change these once cowardly and fearful men into brave, fearless martyrs is Jesus Christ. And He can institute that same kind of change in you as well. Just as Paul promises in his letter to the church of Corinth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Lord can change you from the inside out and make you a new creation. You need only to humble yourself and ask Him to begin that changing work in your life.