Total Transformation: How God Changes Us from the Inside Out
This Sunday at Myrtle House Community Church, we were blessed with a powerful and challenging message from Ellen on transformation—transformation in us that leads to transformation in our communities.
God Looks at the Heart
“When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, ‘Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:6-7)
How often do we focus on outward appearances? Whether it’s how we look or how others look, we can be guilty of seeing people from a human perspective. But God looks at the heart. He calls us to do the same—to see people as He sees them, beyond the surface, to the very core of who they are.
Personal Transformation Leads to Community Transformation
Transformation doesn’t begin externally; it starts within. We cannot expect to see change in our families, communities, and workplaces unless we allow God to change us first.
“Whatever you sow, you will reap. If you love well, you will be loved well.”
We experience a transformation of the heart when we receive Christ—we become a new creation.
“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)
Through Christ, we are born again—not into a temporary existence, but into eternal life (1 Peter 1:23). This is not just a moment of change but an ongoing transformation as we grow in faith and live out the calling God has placed on our lives.
A Call to Live Differently
Romans 12:1-2 urges us:
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
Transformation starts in the mind. Every action we take begins with a thought. Are we choosing thoughts that align with Christ? Are we making choices that reflect His way rather than the world’s way?
We don’t have to live in sin. While we are human and will make mistakes, we are no longer slaves to sin. We have the power, through Christ, to recognise what is wrong, repent, and make a change.
Do what is right.
Refuse to do what is wrong.
Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and actions.
Our behaviour should reflect Jesus—in humility, in servanthood, in love. We are called to be living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him.
Shining Brightly for Christ
Romans 12:3-21 reminds us to live differently—to choose humility, to love sincerely, to honour others above ourselves, and to let our lives be a light in the darkness.
When we are in constant conversation with God, He changes us—moment by moment, day by day, year by year. Listen to Him. Be transformed. Let Him renew your mind.
Do not copy the behaviour of the world, but shine brightly for Jesus.
The world desperately needs to know there is a Saviour and Lord, and you and I have the keys to transformation through Jesus.
We are a new creation, called to truly reflect Jesus in every aspect of our lives.
