Doctors Transplant Hearts. God Transplants Character.

You don’t develop character. You receive it.

On the cross, Jesus was showing us the divine exchange – His for ours.

I will give you a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone.

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26

I will give you my mind. You will have the mind of Christ

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:5 (KJV)

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV)

I will give you my character, the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

You surrender.  I replace.

Jesus is saying, here’s how I will do this. You surrender. I replace. You surrender a little more and I will replace that too. It is a process. Don’t worry when you mess up. I’m doing it. I put the Holy Spirit inside you to complete you.

For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13 (AMP)

And once we have what Jesus gives us, we need to learn how to use it. We are no longer wired for anger. We are wired for love. But we may keep hitting the anger key until hitting the love key becomes our default response.

The analogy has obvious limitations, but the idea is clear. God didn’t just give us a user manual – a human guide book called the Bible. Just telling us what to do hasn’t worked real well in the past. Adam and Eve didn’t last long when confronted with the choice between good and evil and left to decide on their own. God put the Holy Spirit inside us to help us walk this out.

Together or not at all.

With Jesus – everything. (Philippians 4:13)

Without Jesus – nothing. (John 15:5)

The Holy Spirit works to complete the transformation in us. Our role is to stay connected. Don’t unplug. Don’t disconnect.

What Should I Do Next?

Take a deep breath and relax.  You don’t have to change yourself.  God will change you as you enjoy being with Him.  We become like those we spend time with.  Let Him love you into your new identity.

Be with God.  Become like God.  Do things together – amazing things!