Like it or lump it!
by David Steele
“This is how I am and I’m not going to change – like it or lump it!”
Perhaps you’ve heard these words when you’ve had an argument with somebody or when you’ve confronted a person on a particular behaviour. They refuse to acknowledge their need to change or their ability to change, and seemingly have no desire to change. In fact, they feel quite offended that you will not simply ‘accept’ them for who they are.
Accepting people for who they are is what God does best. However, He loves us far too much to leave us in that dire condition! The whole message of the Gospel is one of transformation. If Jesus had only brought a Gospel of justification (acceptance even though we are sinful) then this attitude might be acceptable. No, Jesus came with a Gospel that has the power to radically transform your life and mine.
His aim isn’t just to deal with our difficult attitudes or behaviours. His aim is to transform us into the likeness of His Son Jesus. To say that we can’t change is to call God a liar. He has given us grace, by which we can serve Him. 2 Peter 1:3 says that ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness’.
Let us repent of our proud attitudes and choose to believe in a Gospel and in a God that have the power to change us into the likeness of Jesus. Paul said ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the POWER of God for the salvation of everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16, emphasis added).
Let’s trade our excuses for simple faith in the God of the miraculous. If He can raise Jesus Christ from the dead he can certainly raise my dead works to life by the power of His Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father, You are mighty in power. I want to humble myself today and admit that there are areas in my life that do not reflect You to this world. Rather than just accepting this with stubbornness, I choose to believe that You can change me. I thank You that You have made provision for me to become more like Jesus every day and I ask You to supply the grace I need to make that a reality in my life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Steele is a young man who is passionate about teaching the Word of God and declaring a gospel that is full of power to change people’s lives. After serving for 7 and a half years at Ellel Pierrepont, David, his wife Hannah and their two daughters moved to Hungary in 2016 and are working with Ellel 'Central and Eastern Europe Development' (CEED) where they are teaching, ministering and training ministry teams across that region.
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