Let me start by asking everyone a question: “Which one of your parents do you look more like? Which one are you like in your personality? In our humanness, we take on much of our looks and personality from the genetic material each of our parents contributes. In many ways, I don’t look much like either of my parents, but if you ask my wife, my personality is definitely taking on that of my father.

When we live a devoted life to God, we are changed. John Owens said, “Love begets a likeness between the mind loving and the object belonged… A mind filled with the love of Christ as crucified… will be changed into his image and likeness.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

The process of becoming more like Jesus should be the priority our lives. The reason why I believe this is important is because most of are so focused on becoming the best at what we do whether it is our vocation or in school, we forget or set aside the importance of trying to become the person whom God intends us to be.

I’ve mentioned this before but I think it bears repeating that God is more concerned about our attitudes than our actions. Now some might disagree with that, but I believe it is true because right motives will lead to right actions but right actions are not necessarily the fruit of right motives.

In order for lasting change to occur in our lives, it has to be something we desire. The motivation has to come from within. So if I were to ask each of us, what it is that motivates us, how would we answer? Some might pursue success. Others might pursue money. But how many of us pursue God?

The reality is people will not change until they want to. In the Christian life, change will not happen unless we have a change of attitude. Our motives matter because they are the initiators of change. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

The second thing we need to understand that for change to happen, God needs to be at work because He is our source of power. Last weekend I shared with our Youth leadership team about the importance of being connected with God.

When you read John 15, we see that Jesus emphasizes the importance of remaining connected to the vine. God is the One who works in and through us. Philippians 1:6 is a promise to us, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…” God is working in you, but we still need to allow Him to do so. Paul would later go on to say in 2:12-13, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

God is the source of change and with the power of the Spirit in our lives, we can do things that without Him, we never could do on our own including the transformation of our lives. But this also brings us to the next point.

This means we have both a responsibility and dependence on Him for that change. When I was in school, every year, the school would have a theme that many of the chapels would focus on. It was similar to our themes here. One of our themes was “Amazing Grace Changes Us.” The premise is the God’s grace not only saves us, it also transforms us. God loved us so much that He saved us but He also loves us so much that He doesn’t leave us in that same state. So how does it happen?

As Christians, we have a responsibility to change, to conform ourselves more to the image of God, but we need to rely and depend on His power to do so.

From his hospital bed on the eve of open-heart surgery, Pastor Bruce McIver asked his cardiologist, Dr. Dudley Johnson, “Can you fix my heart?” The physician said, “Sure.” Then he walked away. Following the twelve-hour surgery, McIver asked Johnson, “In light of the blocked arteries that I had when I checked into the hospital, how much blood supply do I now have?” “All you’ll ever need,” replied the terse surgeon. Upon his discharge from the hospital, McIver’s wife, Lawanna, asked the doctor, “What about my husband’s future quality of life?” Dr. Johnson paused and then said, “I fixed his heart; the quality of his life is up to him.”

And that’s just it. In a sense, change is up to us. God has given us the resources we need: a new heart, His Word, His Spirit and His Church, in order to help us grow in faith and conformity. The question always comes back to, “Will we do it?”

For many us, the Christian life is like a roller coaster filled with ups and downs. There are times we are feeling so close to God that heaven is just a bit out of our reach and other times, we wonder if it even exists. Our spiritual lives become an on again and off again thing. It’s like people’s Facebook status when their relationship constantly changes – complicate.

I think part of the reason is the inconsistency people have in their spiritual discipline. Many of us go through the “highs” and “lows” and eventually become disillusioned with things. That is why we need to see our Faith as a Journey, not just a one-time event.

As you age, the thought of retirement comes to mind. In fact, banks are one of the primary “reminders” of that fact in our lives! There are different approaches preparing for that stage in life. You can do GICs, TFSAs, RRSPs, play the Stock Market or like some Chinese people, just hide money around the house until you need it!

And in each of those, there are different approaches. You can be aggressive – high risk with the potential for high reward. You can be balanced – a little here and a little there. Or you can be conservative – focus on a guaranteed return and security on the investment.

Unfortunately, many Christians approach their relationship with God those same ways. Many of us are impatient and when things don’t happen as quickly as we want. We start our faith with zeal and go to all the Bible studies and services offered. We volunteer for everything. But when things don’t progress as quickly or in the way we want, we can become discouraged and want to give up.

A conservative approach is like those who have the “golden ticket” philosophy. They said the prayer believe they are going to heaven so who cares about changing our lives. They see change as not relevant. They think their destination is secure so they can go on with their lives the way they want. They don’t see the point of investing any energy into their spiritual lives and the result of change is negligible or not evident at all.

Then there are others who think their relationship with God takes a balanced approach. They will set aside time and energy for God and the rest for themselves. The mistake with that is like getting in shape. Without consistent dedication, change rarely happens. In essence, it is a maintenance mentality. Yes, we put in efforts, but then we put the vehicle in neutral and knowingly or unknowingly, we start slipping back.

So what does becoming like Jesus look like? The Christian life is a life of gradual changes. It is keeping our hearts and minds focused on the pursuit of God. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first His kingdom…” There will be ups and downs, but in the end, it is a constant and consistent journey to the desired destination – Christ-likeness. In other words, the Christian life is progressive – we are progressively moving towards God and becoming more like Him.

Paul recognized that truth when he wrote in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Paul would be someone many of us would think “had things together.” But he too understood that the Christian journey was a process that isn’t over until we see Jesus face to face.

I think many of us struggle because we can’t see significant changes right away in our lives or the changes are seemingly so insignificant that we wonder, “what’s the point?” But that is part of progress and transformation. For most of us, it isn’t an overnight and done thing. It is a life-long journey of discovery and transformation.

Tracey and I have been married for over 29 years now. By God’s grace and the hard work of my wife, we have made it this far. That being said, we don’t have everything together. In our relationship, we still have a lot of things to learn. But that doesn’t mean we give up on it or stop trying.

Growth in godly character not only is progressive and always unfinished, it is absolutely necessary for spiritual survival. If we are not growing in godly character, we are regressing in the spiritual life we never stand still. The word, “train” in Paul’s words to Timothy to “train yourself to be godly,” is only found 4 times in the Bible. The outcome of training is Christ-likeness. That is why Peter tells his readers to “Make every effort to add to your faith… godliness.”

Let close off with the words of Paul from Ephesians 4:22-24, “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.”

Will we struggle and fall? It will happen, but that shouldn’t stop us from pursuing it.