Can You Spare Any Change?

Zig Ziglar, the famous motivational speaker, once told of this “Good ole boy” back home. His wife had sent him to the store for a ham. After he brought it home, she asked him why he didn’t have the butcher cut the end off of it. He asked his wife why she wanted the end cut off. She replied that her mother had done it that way and that was reason enough for her. Since his wife’s mother was visiting, they asked her why she cut the end off of the ham. The mother replied that it was because that was the way her mother did it. So the mother, daughter, and this “good ole boy” decided to call the grandmother so they could solve this three-generation mystery. When they got hold of grandma, she promptly replied that her roaster was too small for a whole ham to cook in one piece! Change can be a very difficult thing, especially when it comes to changing ourselves. Things such as habits that we have learned over the years, or that we have picked up from our parents are hard to throw off. Even when we know that we are doing something that is not good for us, like smoking, we have a hard time quitting. When we become Christians, God expects to make a change in ourselves, to put away the old man of sin and to walk in a newness of life. However, the change that we are to make does not stop at the point of baptism. It is to continue on so that we might truly become the Christians we say we are.

Repentance

When we decide to become Christians, we are making a conscious decision to change who we were and become who God wants us to be. Repentance is a change made by those who are in the wrong. Christ said in Matthew 9:13, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” If there was no sin, then there would be no need of change being made. That change does need to be made, for we know that we all sin and fall short (Rom. 3:23), and because of this are separated from God (Isa. 59:2), and are in need of reconciliation. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10). It is this Godly sorrow that will cause a person to change his behavior and live according to God’s will. Repentance is not only a change of mind but a change of action. We might feel bad for doing something wrong, but unless we turn form it and start doing right, then we cannot not have the forgiveness we seek. “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:19-20).

Tradition

“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, ‘Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men — the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.’ He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition’” (Mk. 7:5-9). Some change is good, but other change can be harmful. The scribes and Pharisees had changed the true purpose of the Law of Moses and started following commentary made by their forefathers instead of the commandments of God. Not all of the traditions that they followed were bad, the problem came when they put those traditions in front of what God truly wanted them to do. We must be careful, ourselves, not to do the same thing, in that we forget the Law of God so that we can follow after the traditions that we have been following for generations.

Attitude

Like I said in the introduction, the hardest thing that we have to change is ourselves. No matter who we are, we can get stuck in the habit of thinking and acting a certain way. “This is the way I have always done things, and I am not about to change now.” It is easy to carry on and do the same things the same way that we always have done them just because we are comfortable doing them that way. Just like the woman cooking the ham, we don’t stop and think, why? Many times it is just because we are comfortable thinking and doing things the way we have always done them. Other times, it is because our way of thinking has been molded into to us by our parents and grandparents. “My family has been sitting on this side of the auditorium since this building was built. There is no way I am going to sit over there.” We don’t stop and think that it would be much easier for that new young family to sit in “our spot” because it has easier access to the nursery. Our not being able to change can hurt the church even in small instances like this. Everything from who is or is not teaching class, where we sit, or how we sing are things that are easily changed, if we are willing to adjust our attitudes even a little.

Conclusion

We know that not all things can or should be changed. When it comes to doctrinal issues, God and God only has the say, but when it comes to matters of expediency we should be flexible. Are we willing to change what we can for the benefit of the church? Are we willing to change so that we can be the faithful Christians that we say we are?