21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
We were once apart from God, but now we have been set apart by Jesus from the things of this world, granted a pardon for our sins and set free from the power of sin and death. We have the possibility of change because Jesus lives in us. So, each day, we can choose to walk the crucified life - recognizing that the old, corrupted person we once were is dead and we are new creatures in Christ Jesus. So, we can turn aside from the past and live in the hope of a glorious present and future in Him.
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The apostle Paul experienced the patience of God - he was exhibiting strong opposition to the Lord Jesus and His Church, but God did not give up on Him, and showed Him abundant mercy, about which Paul wrote in 1st Timothy chapter 1:
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Roderick Duncan is the owner of a gym in Memphis, Tennessee - it's called God Body. And, according to CBSNews.com, "Duncan says real change never happens overnight — but it always starts in an instant."
It featured a story about one particular instance in which a cup of "instant coffee" began that process. An article on the network's website related:
A few months ago, Duncan said he noticed someone behind his gym, sleeping in one of his old cars.
"Homeless guy, had to have been," Duncan said.
Duncan approached the car, with his cell phone camera recording, and told him to get out of the vehicle. The car doors don't lock, though, so the next day, Duncan had the same problem. It repeated the next day, and the next day, and the next day — until Duncan tried a different approach.
Duncan invited the 24-year-old man, Bryan Taylor in for a cup of coffee and began to "build a relationship." The article notes:
He learned about Taylor's troubled childhood and drinking problem. Their relationship grew, and soon, Duncan was taking Taylor to get a new ID and driving him to job interviews, while Taylor crashed on his couch.
It hasn't always been smooth sailing for the duo. Whether it's been violating trust or not following the rules Duncan set, Duncan said there have been many times where he's told the 24-year-old that it's "the last straw" — but every time, he gives Taylor another chance.
Already, you can see how Roderick displayed the love of Christ, a love that had been shown to him. Our God of second chances is incredibly patient with us. And, even when we may think it's our "last straw," we can confess our sins, receive forgiveness, and set a new course. But, we can't do this by ourselves, and that's why God brought Bryan (sp?) to the God Body Gym.
An article published at The Christian Heart said that Brian had been staying at the gym with Roderick for nine months - he had told him he would allow it for a year. Roderick Duncan, in first-person, shared:
I’m taking the opportunity to mentor and hopefully mold this young man into the man God wants him to be. I want to provide good motivation for him, something he’s never had. I tell him to look at how far God has brought me. I was getting into trouble, and God took me and made me into a totally different person. You have to let God lead you. Sometimes He’ll lead you to places you may not want to go. But you have to really listen to the Holy Spirit.And, as Roderick notes, it's all part of God's plan: "I can now see why God sent me to cooking school, why I gained weight, why I got into working out, and why I got into training others on diet and exercise. And how that all led to meeting Brian. God’s plan is amazing."
It’s been an up and down process with Brian, and it can be very frustrating. He’s had two jobs and he’s been fired from both of them. But I’m trying to be patient with him, and do my best to help change his life. I’m letting God work through me.
If I can help Brian, isn’t that what God would want me to do? It’s not going to hurt me to help someone to try to get better. And it may have an eternal impact on him.
There are tremendous principles that we can learn from this interaction. First of all, we can know the Holy Spirit will lead us sometimes into difficult places, and we may resist. But, we have to submit ourselves to God and demonstrate a willingness to do what He has given us the capacity to do. Our motivation? The love of Christ.
And, that's a second point: God has been merciful to us by sending His Son to die for us so that we can have a new life. But, we recognize that we might not be as charitable as He. We have to rely on the presence of God's love within our hearts in order to see it expressed toward another. And, as the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 13, love is patient. Another point: Think about the patience of God, who does not give up on us when we falter or fail, when we do unholy things that contrast with His holiness. Roderick Duncan has not given up on Brian Taylor and is continuing to be patient, even when he messes up. At this point, there is a place to come home to. But, Brian recognizes there are limitations - he has a year to get his life right. And, there may come a time when Roderick exercises tough love. But, he has planted the seeds and taught the principles - we become accountable for what we know, and God will always be drawing us back to Himself.
Finally, it's always helpful to look back and see how God has brought us to this point in our lives. We can see how God has, as the Scriptures refer to, ordered our steps. We can be emboldened and know that, as He has been faithful to us in the past, we can rely on that faithfulness for the future.
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