I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jer. 31:33)
IF YOU CONTINUTE TO DO the same thing you have always done, you will continue to see the same results you have always seen. Business leaders know that, which explains why innovation is at the heart of success in any commercial venture. Coaches understand that, which is why new strategies and plays are hallmarks of a comeback sports franchise. Nothing changes until something changes.
God saw the need for a radical change in His dealings with people. Israel had become distracted and unfaithful. The covenant of Sinai, delivered by Moses, had created a nation but had not transformed the people’s hearts. Something had to change. There would have to be a new way of thinking, a new way of relating to God, a new way of being human. There would have to be a new covenant.
Incredibly, many people still live under the old way—measuring their behavior against the perfect law and falling short every time. They live in an endless cycle of failure, regret, and repentance. Jesus brought a new way: forgiveness based on God’s grace, transformation by God’s Holy Spirit, and love for God that brings changed behavior. Are you still living the old way? If all you are willing to do is what you are doing, all you will ever be is what you are. Let Jesus change your life today.
Name one thing that must change in your life, then surrender it to God.
Lawrence W. Wilson is a pastor, author, blogger, and avid cyclist from Fishers, Indiana. He is the author of A Different Kind of Crazy: Living the Way Jesus Lived (Wesleyan Publishing House).