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Do I want change? - The somewhat different Advent Calender XV ...

Saturday, Dec 15, 2012. We are in a preparation time for Christmas. Jointly, we are going through the advent season. But is change our general attitude? How are we approaching the transformation, which God wants to achieve within us?

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Taking Criticism and Active Change …

As a scientist I have adapted the following attitude: I try to do things better all the time. I work on papers, and every paragraph, every theorem, every sentence is turned around again and again, until it has reached some state of maturity. It is like shaping a piece of art, which you want to do very well. You keep working on it, try to improve it and make it really good!

I have this attitude: “let us do the best we can” and “let us see, where we can do better now” and again “now let us again see, where we have to approach the problem in a better way”. However, it is not a widely spread attitude. I had to realize that people can react very sensitive to criticism. Can you take criticism? If someone says: the way you work is old fashioned - how do you react? Do you say: ok, perhaps, lets see how we can do better, then? Or do you say: “but you are much more old fashioned than I am”? The second reply tries to get rid of the criticism and does not take it openly!

I have seen how strange people can react on criticism. But it is important to be able to change. It is important to search for better structures, for better software design, for better scientific solutions, for better organizational steps, for better documentation, for better distribution of work! It is important - without this quest for improvement on all levels, you will not survive with your business and science.

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God's Transformation …

The background of the biblical texts is the fact that God is different. He is holy. And he wants humans to be holy as well. This is a very basic and fundamental criticism. The beginning point of the gospel is the need for change. Humans with their hatred and ignorance cannot stay what they are! There is a deep criticism in the biblical books, a criticism addressing the very root of our existence. But there is also a resolution of this criticism. There is salvation, coming to us in Jesus.

God has already resolved the problem of holiness. We are made holy in Jesus, all those who cannot be holy themselves. We are saved. We are transformed through faith in him. There is a deep change taking place in us, when we start to believe.

But we are also asked to take part in all of this with our full personality, with our mind and our will. We are asked to take an active part in the change, which comes to us in Jesus. We are asked to transform our thinking, to transform our life style, to transform our actions. The feelings will follow. Let us take up the criticism which comes from the Lord himself, actively and full of joy, to transform ourselves the way he is showing us in Jesus. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts

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