Have you started making changes in one or more areas of your life as the end of year approaches? With more “free time” between Christmas and New Year’s, why not get a head start on making improvements in your personal or family life? A few weeks ago, I began to read a book called “Reframe” by Brian Hardin, who is the vision and voice behind the Daily Audio Bible, which boasts 74 million downloads and more than 150,000 daily listeners. In this book written in 2015, Hardin examines the relationship that believers have with God.
As you probably know, humans often resist change. Did you know, however, that everything around us, as well as our body, is undergoing change constantly? Brian Hardin writes: “There are seven major plates that make up the earth’s uppermost mantle or crust. Then there are seven smaller ones and many, many more tertiary or subplates. When these plates suddenly slip on a fault, the earth quakes … about four thousand times a day.”
Hardin continues: “Your body is changing every second of every single day. Did you know that the outer layer of your skin completely replaces itself about every two weeks? Every seven years to ten years, almost every cell that makes up who you are is replaced.” When you wish someone a “Happy New Year!” next week, the person you are greeting is not the same as he or she was a few years before.
How about our spiritual life? Are we growing closer to the Lord? The apostle Paul urged the believers in Rome to present their bodies as living and holy sacrifices to God. As we do so, we will be transformed by God, rather than being conformed to this world. When we think about the Romans, we may be quick to remember the horrific executions of people, including Jesus, by crucifixion. However, God brought good from evil, as the vast transportation system established by the Roman Empire made it possible to proclaim the Good News of Christ to the world.
By His grace,
Steve