destroy.rebuild

So, in dealings with and speakings to those around me, a certain idea seems to be of importance; also, this idea is  needed just as badly to be instilled, taught, or smacked into me, whichever is most effective.  When we think of Christ changing our lives, of being transformed by the renewing of our minds, of taking off the old self and putting on the new self, don't we often think of that as something that still occurs in the life we lived before?  It's easy to take the old Jon Bierma and replace him with Jesus' new version of Jon Bierma and put him back into his life as it was, but with some changes.  But what if giving our lives as living sacrifices means that the very foundation of our lives is different?  If our old selves have died, there's nothing left; if anything is to be rebuilt, the very basis of our lives will be different.  Too often, Christ is an add-on in my life; I have my traditions and beliefs rooted in 20 years of life, and yes, Christ pokes holes in some of it, but he fills in the cracks with cement patches. But no, Christ throws that one out and starts over, not just remodeling the house, but starting from the ground up.  If my life is changed, then my life might be like Jesus, but if my life is new, then for me to live is Christ, because Christ is my life, not just something in it.  This isn't just an election for who's running the government in my life, it's a completely new country. Am I putting Jesus into my life, or am I putting my life into Jesus?

*Romans 12:1-2, Colossians 3:9-10, Philippians 2:21, Colossians 3:3-