The point of transformation is to grow up. Remember what Sam said last week? When someone tells us to ‘grow up,’ it almost feels like a slap in the face, kind of abrasive. And yet, scripture is filled with sections that tell us, ‘grow up!’
Jesus said,
In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. MSG Matthew 5:48
To grow up means we move from being selfish to selfless. To stop being a consumer that uses people and things and start living a life of love. A sacrificial life, someone who gives life to others. To grow up from being emotional infants into emotional adults. Another way of saying transformation is to say, ‘…to become spiritually mature.’ When we grow up, when we are transformed, when we grow up spiritually, we are a gift to everyone in our life. Think about that. You become a source of life and joy to your spouse and family. You become valuable to your friends, your church and your community. Do you see the connection? When we are transformed, it shows up in our relationships.
Here is what you have to know about transformation. It’s intentional. It happens on purpose. In other words, if you aren’t looking for it, you won’t find it.
Jesus said the following.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” MSG Matthew 11:28-30
That’s transformation. You were tired, worn out and burned out. Now you are experiencing rest and freedom. Did you see what Jesus said is required for transformation? Jesus said, walk with me, work with me, watch me and learn the unforced rhythms of grace. In other words, be intentional. It doesn’t just magically happen. If you aren’t looking for it, you won’t find it.
Let me ask you a question. What if what Jesus said is true? Jesus said he can transform you. He said he can show you how to take a real rest. He said he can teach you how to live freely and lightly. If that is true, what would you do to experience that? Would you be intentional?
When it comes to spiritual things, many people aren’t intentional. They aren’t looking for it, so they don’t find it. Real quickly, l want to share three things that tend to keep us away from transformation. Three temptations we can fall into.
Many people are tempted to just be functional. In other words, they live in routines. They pay the bills, get kids to the sports fields, send second hand clothes to third world countries. They don’t engage their spouse much or their family or church. They don’t lead and struggle to serve. They tend to have a negative or protective view of life. They just never put themselves in a spot where they can make a difference but maybe they are comfortable noticing how others how they should live. They aren’t transformed, they simply exist for another day. They are functional.
Others are tempted to be distracted. They are involved with good things, fun things, but give too much time to those things. It leaves them no time to be intentional. They say things like, “I’m too busy, I could never find the time.” When you are with them, you discover what they give their time to.
Gaming. Playing a war game on-line with a 12 year old in Germany for 5 hours, that doesn’t mean you are busy. No. You are playing. I didn’t say stop playing games. I am saying, maybe it’s a distraction. Are you spending too much time with things that don’t have an eternal value?
Hunting. Hunting is awesome. How much time do we invest with trail cams, deer stands and weekends away. I didn’t say hunting is wrong. Actually it’s really good. Good for spending time with family, teaching responsibility, etc. I am saying, maybe it can be a distraction. Are you spending too much time with things that don’t have eternal value?
Pay to play sports. Again, awesome opportunity to develop. My kids are in pay to play sports. Think about the time and money and energy it takes to support that. A local pastor asked me, “If I told my congregation that we were having church in the next state over at 8 am, be there 30 minutes early, and it would cost $2,000, do you think anyone would come?” I thought that was a funny observation. Is he against pay to play? No. He is simply saying, does it take so much time away that you can’t be intentional.
Shopping. Facebook. Religious activity. Again, they are good things, fun things. But maybe, just too much time. Their time is invested into things that have no eternal value. They aren’t transformed.
You can be functional. You can be distracted. And, others are flat out rebellious. I just can’t nice it up. God says it and they just won’t do it. Forgive those who hurt you, no. Love those who hate you, no. In the area of money; trust me and give, no. Submit to leadership, no. Walk in purity, no. Slow down and be with me, no. Over time, the rebellious person feels good about attending church now and then, but they never allow God to touch their hearts. They aren’t transformed. Actually, they slip into a religious way of living.
Do you see it? Jesus offers transformation, but we are tempted to be functional, distracted and rebellious. We can go to church for 20, 30, 40 years and think we are mature because of time served but in reality, we aren’t transformed. Our gas tank is on spiritual EMPTY. It can leave us with the following spiritual condition we shared in week one of this series.
Having little joy, feeling unhappy, frustrated, wanting to just disengage and feel numb.
Tend to be reactionary to what others do or say or think about you.
Consistent feelings of being depressed, bitter or angry.
Hurt those who are closest to you because you refuse to change your selfish ways of living
Many teenagers deal with this: having a quick thought or a brief emotion that is not based on reality or fact and that thought or emotion becomes their reality.
Living off of other’s people’s spirituality.
Feeling scattered, fragmented and uncentered. Always feeling behind, tired and rushed.
Physically, spiritually, and emotionally tired.
Existing with only one-inch-deep spirituality.
How is that possible? How could that ever explain most North American Christians today? That doesn’t make sense. Jesus said the following.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” MSG Matthew 11:28-30
What if what Jesus said was true, what would you do to experience it? It’s available to everyone.
This entire book, and specifically this chapter, deals with being intentional. So please allow me to ask you;
Are you intentional about your spiritual transformation?
Are you reading and engaging this book to go deeper with God? Or do you feel like you have 20, 30, 40 years in – you know – time served? You know how church should be run. You know how people should act. You know everything about every topic, but God hasn’t touched your heart in a long time. Maybe your spiritual condition, if you were honest, is a mess.
The reason I ask is because if you aren’t looking for it, you won’t find it. It’s not magic, it’s intentional.
So where do we start? I want to ask you a couple questions that might change everything. Before I do, I must tell you, this chapter has pages of details I don’t have time to bring you today. It talks about scripture, prayer, silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, exercise, having fun, serving, emotional health, family, community, church and more.
Here is where we need to start.
Question: What brings you closer to God? Think about that. Think about your life, what were you doing when you felt closest to God?
Question: What drives you away from God? What are the things that distract you? The area that is a good and fun thing but is taking way too much time from you. What areas of your life are you rebelling in? God is clear about what He wants and you are saying, “No.”
Question: What brings you to life, brings you passion?
These questions are the beginning to help you find transformation.
When we grow up, when we are transformed, when we grow up spiritually, we are a gift to everyone in our life. Like Jesus said, we live generously and graciously towards others. Think about that. You become a source of life and joy to your spouse and family. You become valuable to your friends, your church and your community.
I want to close with this.
The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you. NIV 2 Chronicles 15:2
Christianity isn’t about a set of intellectual believes and religious rules. In other words, it’s not about what you know or how you follow rules. Christianity is about a love relationship with God. An intentional relationship with God.
If you aren’t looking for it, you won’t find it.