A necessary change
He was an honest man who worked hard for his wages, but he was uneducated, rough and uncultured. He never realised the disrepair of his little cottage.
One day he saw a very beautiful set of crystal candle holders in a shop window.
Every day, he made a point of stopping to view it and it seemed to lighten something inside him. It made him feel differently. He watched the glittering as the crystal reflected different colours like magic. He fell in love with those pieces. He pulled out all his meagre savings and went to the shop, putting a deposit on them and assuring the shop owner he would pay it off quickly. He denied himself and the day came when he took his prize home.
He placed it lovingly on the table and admired it. It immediately became a judgement on the room. He noticed how dirty and drab the curtains were. He saw the paint and wallpaper peeling off the walls. He noticed the stuffing coming out of his chair and the scratches on the table. He decided the floor needed scrubbing. He looked at himself and felt so unworthy of that magnificent crystal.
He set to work. He could not have that beauty sitting there in such squalor. He had to make the room worthy of its new inhabitant. As he kept admiring the crystal, it kept giving him incentive to clean the whole area. He spent all his time cleaning and fixing and it wasn’t long before he had the whole room looking clean and tidy, and he wore clean clothes on a clean body.
Those crystal candle holders still outshone everything. It didn’t look so completely out of place now, but he determined to keep improving.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation.
Old things have passed away.
All things have become new.
Changed priorities
When the Lord Jesus Christ enters into a life, the life changes and the surroundings change. Being crucified with Christ, we see areas of our life that we hadn’t realised were so dark and just not fit for the new Resident. We see things through His eyes and we desire what He desires.
Yes, we rejoice that our old nature is dead, but it is still able to raise its ugly head to blind our spirits and lead us astray.
Do we need to change some priorities?
Do we need to clean and tidy our “house” to honour our Guest?
My life changed completely when I responded to the call of Christ – but that wasn’t the end of the story. He is still showing me areas that need attention. He is still changing me, molding me into His likeness.
He has a long way to go but I have His assurance that one day I shall be like Him (Ephesians 4:13. 1 John 3:2) Lord, may I be willing to have You change me more!
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
What a difference Christ makes in a life!
What a Saviour!
MEETING IN THE CLOUDS 
Reading your recent posts in reverse order…..there’s that verse again 2 Cor 5:17. Now that IS some promise.
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Yes it surely is and I have to add . . . “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought . . .”
What a Saviour!
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Great post and wonderful analogy!
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Thanks
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Angela,
I love that story. When I become immune to everything else, that type of analogy is the one thing that always commands my attention.
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Hi Todd,
Have you read the small booklet My Heart – Christ’s Home by Robert Boyd Munger? It puts the same analogy in a startling way. I think you’d appreciate it.
Angela
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I have not read that booklet. Where can I find it?
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It is only a tiny booklet – 30 pages – 3.5 x 5 inches. It should be available at any Christian bookshop. First printed in 1954 it is still in print.
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Thanks a lot. I’ll look for it on my next visit to the bookstore.
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Hello Angela,
What a beautiful message. As I read it, I thought of a song that Tramaine Hawkins made famous years ago, titled, Changed! The Lord also gave me a song titled, So Glad I’ve Been Changed. I know that I still have some changing to do, but I know, that He that has begun a good work in me, shall perform it, until the day of Jesus Christ! I thank God for that! Thank you for sharing. I have been encouraged, by this word!
God bless,
Paulette
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Hi Paulette,
I don’t know that song but my heart has been singing for 52 years because of the change He wrought in my life back then – and still continues.
What a wonderful Saviour!
Angela
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Here is an older version of that song. I hope you enjoy it.
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Paulette, thank you so much for going to that trouble, but I am unable to watch videos on the net. I think my connection speed is the problem. It plays for 2 seconds and then nothing for about 10 seconds, then plays another 2 seconds etc. SOMETIMES (not always) if I let it play all the way through like that, it will then play normally. I’ll try it when I come back from shopping. (7.30am Wednesday here)
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Angela, click the pause button after the video begins to play. Once the video player buffer fills up enough (you will see the buffer progress bar advancing), then you can watch the video in real time.
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Thanks Todd. I’ve tried that previously but it takes at least half an hour to buffer for a five minute track. I’ll try later.
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Wow! What incredible passion in that performance.
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Angela,
Your posting reminds me of 2Tim 2:19-21 – “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, [and] prepared unto every good work. “
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Rob, you’ve quoted one of my many favourites . . .
“Fit for the Master’s use” – my desire, my prayer.
Oh the JOY and the privilege it is to be used in His service!
What a wonderful Saviour!
Thanks,
Angela
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