The point of becoming a Christ follower is to actually become Christ-like. Knowing Jesus as the Lord of my life should transform every part of my life. Yes, Jesus accepts us as we are, but his love is supposed to change us.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 NLT
This transformation is something that takes place both instantly and slowly, much like cold brew coffee. For this post it's important to understand the difference between iced coffee and cold brew. Iced coffee is simply coffee served with ice. The ice melts, the coffee gets watered down, and it’s a $4-$5 disappointment. Cold brew is an entirely different process.
You can make your own cold brew at home. Grab a cold brew kit from your favorite coffee company because they're all similar processes. Fill a pitcher with 750ml of filtered water. Drop a couple of their bags of coffee grounds in the water and let it sit in the fridge for 12-18 hours. Remove the bags, add more water, and serve on ice.
This process has both instant and slow effects on the water in which it brews. The second the coffee bags are dropped in the water, the water has been changed. It’s been infused with the coffee grounds. However, it has many hours of extraction left before it’s ready for consumption. And oh man, is it so worth it! Cold brew coffee is much more potent; so much so that as the ice melts, the coffee flavor isn’t diluted, but enhanced.
Spiritual transformation is a very similar process. The minute you name Jesus the Lord of your life, you’re saved. It’s an instant transformation from spiritual death to spiritual life, but we have so much more development still ahead as we mature in our faith.
That’s what is being described in Ephesians 4. We exist in a state of constant, yet slow transformation. Many of us settle for iced coffee Christianity where there is little to no transformation. Yes the ice changes things, but the end product is generic and bland. What would it look like to allow our relationship with Jesus to slowly and steadily effect every part of our lives?
It may not happen as quickly as you'd like. You may not ever feel like you're where you should be. But if you're willing to put in the work and engage in the process, you'll eventually be able to celebrate the progress.
