Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)
When PGA professionals aren’t playing well, it often leads to changes. It’s not unusual to hear that a golfer has changed his putter. Some will switch their driver, their irons, or their golf ball.
A more dramatic change is when they part ways with their on-course partner and trusted advisor, their caddie. And another big change is when they decide to transform their swing by switching to a new swing coach.
Tiger Woods has been hands down the greatest golfer of the past quarter century, and it’s been said he changes swing coaches more often than most golfers change their spikes. You are probably familiar with the list, starting with his father, Earl Woods, Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, Sean Foley, and Chris Como.
As a result, Tiger’s swing has gone through numerous transformations. To this day, many wonder why he switched from Harmon to Haney. After all, under Butch’s tutelage, Tiger had his most dominant period. He won 8 majors in 23 starts, including holding all four at once in 2000-2001.
When asked why he would want to transform his swing while sitting atop the golf world, Tiger said, “To get better.” And if it’s done correctly, golf swing transformation can be very good.
Transformation also occurs in life – in particular, the kind that comes about when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their savior and grows in their relationship with Him. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better example of life transformation than what occurred with the Apostle Paul.
Saul/Paul’s resume was impressive: “…circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” (Philippians 3:5-6).
When the new sect of Judaism known as Christians started making their presence felt, Saul made exterminating this group his passion. He was on his way to Damascus with documents authorizing him to seize followers of Jesus when a life transformation miracle occurred (refer to Acts 9 for details).
Saul, a Jewish zealot who hated Gentiles, was transformed into a missionary and evangelist to the Gentiles. His personality changed from a proud, intolerant, bitter bigot to a patient, kind, self-sacrificing Christian whose passion for the Lord knew no boundaries.
No matter how many bad decisions a person has made, their life is changed by one good one – to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Life transformation is His specialty.
Not all life transformations are going to be as dramatic as Paul’s. There doesn’t need to be blinding lights or voices from heaven. Over the years, I’ve had the joy of witnessing life transformation occur in people in their 20s to 70s.
No matter how many bad decisions a person has made, their life is changed by one good one – to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Life transformation is His specialty.
Is there any greater miracle than seeing life transformation at work? And while we can’t perform that miracle, we can lead others to the one who can: Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. Please help us to boldly confess the good news to others, to allow your miracle of life transformation to take place. Amen