Focus: Lord, Change Me!

Text: Jer.13:23

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."

The dream of changing others must begin at the personal level of changing oneself.

In 1100 A.D., in the crypts of Westminster Abbey an inscription was found on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop titled, When I Was Young, and it reads:

"When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would none of it. And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realized: if I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed my world." Only changed people can help change others. 

But really, the starting point of change is realizing and admitting the need for change. No one truly changes who does not see the need for it.

Our world needs changing, beginning with us as individuals. Yet, the sad reality of our world is that change is extremely difficult to come, if not impossible. And this brings us to the truth as expressed by Jeremiah in our text. Can the Ethiopian change his skin? The expected answer is, 'No.' One can decide to bleach his or her skin, but to change it is impossible. Can the leopard change its spots? And again, the answer is a resounding 'No.' It is the nature of the leopard to have spots, and it is not possible changing it. Jeremiah, then, goes on to make his point by saying, "Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." The word 'accustomed' is 'limmûd' in Hebrew, and it means 'schooled, taught, discipled, learned, instructed, used to.' How can people who are schooled and learned in evil begin to do good? That is the problem. 

Biblically speaking, evil has been a part of our DNA and psyche since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Man is always finding new ways to do evil. He is indeed accustomed to doing evil, even to the extent that he does good with evil in mind. He does good for personal advantage. Paul calls men who have not God in their lives, "Inventors of evil" (Rom.1:30). The wise preacher of Ecclesiastes says, "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Eccl.7:29). It is no wonder that Isaiah declares, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isa.64:6). Iniquity is in our blood. The psalmist declares, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps.51:5). At the core of our being change is very difficult. The 'hippopotamus' in all of us loves to wallow in the mud.

For the unbeliever, change starts with a spiritual rebirth. Paul says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2Cor.5:17). The sinner requires a "born again" experience made possible by the Spirit of God.

For the believer, change requires constant renewal of the mind, and that is made possible as he enlists in the school of Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ says, "Learn of me." We need to be schooled in doing good. We need to be instructed in the way of righteousness. We need to learn the truth and to live by it. We need to be discipled in the new and living way of Christ. We need to be properly taught the word of God and allow it to richly dwell in us. The psalmist says, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Ps.119:11).

Change is possible if we are truly willing and determined to change. God will help those who are willing to change. Change is possible for those who make the effort to change and keep at it. Change is possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. The secret of change is yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul says, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2Cor.3:18). 

What we see is what we seize. What we constantly behold is what we become. Change also happens as we let God's system of values to control our minds.

We become God's change agents by letting Him change us from the inside out. The change we allow to happen to us, we can make happen to others. With God nothing is impossible. Lord, change me, for change is possible with You!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter