"Do You Dare To Change?"

Dear Friends,

I don't usually pay much attention to television adverts, but there's been one recently that has really caught my eye and inspired me.  Not so much what it's advertising but the actual content of it.  It's about the high jump athlete, Dick Fosbury and the voiceover says "When every high jump athlete jumped forward, Dick Fosbury dared to jump backwards."  This was in 1968 when just one man (Fosbury) out of the 27 high jump athletes jumped backwards.  In 1972 the number using Dick Fosbury's technique rose to 28 out of 40, in 1980 it was 23 out of 28 and in 2012, 26 out of 26 now used his technique!

In an interview he said "When you believe in something, that's when you really go for it...even though that was the standard technique (jumping forwards) I really believed there was some other way to jump over the bar."  He continued to say that he came up with the backwards technique that would help not only himself but other athletes too.  He said he had to avoid the critics, work hard at it because he was convinced that this would succeed and by actually jumping backwards he proved there was another way to jump over the bar.  He ends the interview by saying: "Do you dare to change?"

I'm struck by the spiritual principles there are in this and that's what I want to share today because it's encouraging, and like I said earlier, inspiring.

Our culture, our society, our world says there is one way for us to live and we are expected to live by its rules, its standards, which, in many ways, are contrary to God's standards.  We read in Romans 12:2 "Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (NLT) or as the Amplified version puts it: "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]."

God's standard means that we are to live differently to the world, we are not to copy them, we are to be transformed by God's power in us and transformation begins in our mind, and having our mind renewed by new ideals and new attitudes.  We are to be like Christ in the way we think, act and speak.  Romans 8:28-30 "Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God, in his foreknowledge, chose them to bear the family likeness of his Son, that he might be the eldest of a family of many brothers. He chose them long ago; when the time came he called them, he made them righteous in his sight, and then lifted them to the splendour of life as his own sons." (Phillips)

Do you dare to be different?  Do you dare to change?  To show others that there is a better way to live?  Do you dare to show them that having Jesus as Lord of your life enables you to live the life that God intended for you along. Jesus said in John 10:10 "I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." (The Message)

Dick Fosbury said 3 things which I want to adapt for us:
1. Don't pay attention to those who criticise you - don't listen or allow the world to dictate how you should live, don't listen when they try to convince you that there's is the only way to live, don't be persuaded by their arguments, don't give up on living differently, living by God's standards because you know they are best and are right.  Remember, we're not here to fit in with the world's standards and we're not here to please them, the only one we seek to please is Jesus and our goal is to bring God glory.

2. Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit living within you to enable you to live that changed life - will power alone just won't do it, I know, I've tried.  The Holy Spirit gives us the boldness, the courage and the power we need to live differently and with his help we can dare to change.

3. Prove there's another, better way to live - by living it out.  As Dick Fosbury said "When you believe in something, that's when you really go for it..."  If I really believe God loves me, if I really believe what the bible says, then I will go for it, my faith in God will be shown in my actions.  Dick Fosbury believed that what he was doing would help not only himself but other athletes too.  For us, when we take up the challenge and dare to change, dare to be different for God, then it will bless others as well as ourselves.

I find this very exciting, but I admit, very challenging too!  If I've made you feel a little uncomfortable, don't worry, I'm also feeling uncomfortable!  But, despite the discomfort, let's decide to go for it, and let's encourage one another as we do.  Let's keep in mind that we want others to see Jesus in us, we want them to be drawn to him and discover for themselves that better life, the eternal life that he offers each of us when we come to him.

To Think About:
Ask God to show you if there are any areas of your life where you have been conforming to the world's way of living and ask him to give you the power, the courage, to change, the boldness to live differently.

Could God be asking you to review how you do something at home, work or in your ministry etc. and change the way you do it, not necessarily because it's wrong, but because there's another, more effective way of doing it?

Do others see Jesus in your life as you seek to live for him?

Vicki

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