Do you ever have times you wish you were someone different?

Oh, not so much someone who’s rich and famous though that might be fun.  But deep inside, when you’ve stumbled again at the thing that keeps tripping you?

I know I do occasionally and I’m pretty sure my wife wouldn’t mind a few changes in me also.

Yet, I find that to be one of most powerful promises from God.  That he can and will change us from the inside so we become the person we truly want to be.

Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”*

I love that.  It offers so much hope no matter who you are and what you’ve done.

God offers to overcome it and make up for it by literally changing you into a new, power filled person.

And it begins simply as you ask God to create that change in you.

Frankly, that’s been perhaps the most amazing part of my faith journey.  I look back at all the rough edges of my personality and am astounded sometimes by the changes in me.

Oh, there’s plenty more to go but I’m thankful for the journey so far.

*2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

I’m not sure sometimes when I look back, why this amazing life God offers actually took in me. I mean, I was a most unlikely candidate.

Heading in wrong directions with full after-burners blazing. No interest at all in going to church unless to meet cute girls.

Yet, somehow when I committed my life to God I really meant it. I had enough of a glimpse of the amazing life he promised and somehow a flicker of anticipation that I jumped full in.

I look back now, several decades later, and think, “Wow, what a ride.”

I was literally changed from the inside. The old issues slowly subsided. No not all at once. Heck, there are days it’s still a work in progress.

I found new and healthy relationships, one of which led to my marriage and family.

I headed in new directions and discovered a challenging yet so rewarding life.

And I’ve been a bystander watching God work occasionally some full up unexplainable miracles.

It’s what the apostle Paul wrote, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”*

Frankly, I feel the same way.

*Philippians 3:8 (NIV)

Do you ever wonder why so many people who attend church regularly really don’t live lives all that different from those who don’t?

I mean, I read the promises God offers. How he’ll supernaturally lead us, unleash his power in us, work miracles for us. Yet, I see such a disconnect with so many churchgoers.

Heck, I way too often see a disconnect in my own life.

Jesus, I think, gives a clue when he told a parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”*

See when he found the treasure he immediately knew what it was. No fooling around. No “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
So he takes action. He slyly hides it again so he can claim it.

I love the next part. He was filled with joy just thinking about the treasure. He was giddy with anticipation.

Finally, he went all in. The treasure was so much more valuable than anything he already owned.

I wonder what would happen if we approached the treasure of God’s miracle life the same way?

*Matthew 13:44 (NIV)

Frankly I’m baffled by why some people seem to connect to a church yet never really experience what I call the amazing life. Yeah, I’ve had some dry periods but overall it’s been an amazing run.

They seem to make a commitment. Sign a commitment card, get baptized, join the church. Maybe even volunteer.
But then some challenge hits. An illness, financial crisis, career struggle, marital implosion. Yet, instead of tying in closer they drift away.

Or they kind of just get bored with the whole church thing. It just doesn’t seem so relevant anymore. They’ve heard all the sermons and now are on reruns. So they stop coming regularly and finally just drift away.

Yet, for some the tragedy is they never really experience the amazing life God offers. They may think, “Well, maybe it’s not real or just wasn’t me.” If they even were expecting anything supernatural at all.

So why the disconnect? Jesus promised us an amazing life that would blow our minds. How do believers miss it?

I think it has something to do with committing all in. Not playing church but going all in to experience the life God designed for each of us.

What do you think?