I think that most of us are comfortable with the surface-level changes that really don't do much for us at all. We embrace the small cosmetic changes because they appear to have an immediate impact, but these changes don't really make a difference in the long run. Jesus is approached by a man, named Nicodemus, in John 3. He was looking for some answers and some direction. He wanted to know what needed to happen for him to be saved. He thought that he could go through some cosmetic change and say some special words and poof he would be alright. But Jesus tells him something very startling: you need to be transformed! Literally Jesus says that Nicodemus needs to be "born again."
Nicodemus was looking for new rules or some new moral code that he could adhere to, but Jesus tells him that he needs a whole new life! So often we look for real change in a mere facelift but Jesus is telling us here that the change we need, the change that he calls us to, is a complete transformation - a re-birth! Jesus wants us to have a new life.
When it comes to spiritual change, we need to focus on something much bigger than simply turning over a new leaf. We can't just change what we do, rather we must change why we do what we do. This is what Jesus is getting at when he speaks to Nicodemus. He doesn't want Nicodemus to be better at obeying the laws; he wants him to desire and live out a new calling. Rules simply modify our behavior for time, but the message of the gospel is the only thing that can truly impart new life. And new life is the only thing that will suffice!
Today, I pray that God will continue to work the work of transformation in our lives as we seek His face and His direction for today. May God who began this work of transformation in you at the time of faith bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ! AMEN.
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