When God called Abraham out of Ur in what is now modern day Iraq, Abraham was a very wealthy business man who was a pagan. God called Abraham to go to a strange foreign land to become the father of a great nation. This nation and people, Israel, would reveal God to the whole world so that other nations might come to God by faith.

We are told that Abraham obeyed God by faith and God began to chip away at Abraham’s character from the inside out. This was a long slow process, but Abraham learned to fall in love with the God who loved him and obeyed God out of love. This is all recorded in Genesis for us.

Let’s jump ahead a bit and look at Jonah, the reluctant prophet. It becomes obvious early in the book that Jonah hated the Ninevites who also hated the Jews. The last thing Jonah wanted to do was bring the message of repentance and faith to this pagan nation. So, Jonah ran from God or at least tried to run. God wouldn’t let Jonah off the hook. God disciplined Jonah until Jonah agreed to carry out God’s will to preach in Nineveh.

Well, the king of Nineveh and his people, repented from their sin and trusted God. You might think that Jonah would have been glad, but he was still angry because he hated the Ninevites. The book ends with God still dealing with Jonah and his attitude. Sometimes, God will teach us from our failures to learn more about us and more about Him.

I would challenge you to look at the lives of Peter, Matthew, John, and Paul in the New Testament. God transformed each one from the inside out to be authentic and effective for the kingdom of God.

God is still willing to do transformational discipleship with born again believers. He doesn’t do this with external rules or laws. When we receive Jesus by faith, He gives us a new heart that is willing and free to obey God out of a love relationship with Jesus.

So, by faith and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can submit to God and let the Bible change us from the inside out to become more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This takes some sacrifice from us: a sacrifice of time and effort, along with a willingness to submit to God and His Word. God always invites us to enter into discipleship when we receive Christ as a personal Lord and Savior. Read the Great Commission in Matthew 28.