Week 10—Tuesday Matthew 18:1-4
Matthew 18:1-4
THE STEPS TO CONVERSION
“Man is made for conversion.” These are the stages through which a person gets to conversion. (1) Doubt—fear of change. When the people came and saw the demoniac now “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; . . . they were afraid.” Afraid of sanity! We are so accustomed to the insanities of our evils that we are afraid of the sanity of the new. (2) Darkness—the doubt and fear bring on darkness. And that darkness deepens day by day. (3) Despair—as the darkness deepens, despair sets in. We see no way out of this descending spiral. (4) Decision—we decide to try Christ. “If he is a Savior he will save me—I’ll try Christ.” (5) Dawn—the moment we turn to him, hope lights up our darkened skies. He is the Dawn. (6) Deliverance—chains fall off, old habits are broken up and remade into new patterns, a new person emerges. (7) Delight—a weak word describing a strong, deep joy which takes possession of the total person—one becomes joy-filled. (8) Development—a desire takes possession of one to grow, to be and do something, become creative.
“Man is made” for these eight steps, and when we take them we come to ourself, as the prodigal son did. Sometimes these eight steps are telescoped into one creative moment. A man who had been in a high position in government, ran for high office, then became a businessman, then an alcoholic. He set out at four o’clock in the morning to drive the five hundred miles to our Ashram—and set out half-drunk. His wife wondered if he would ever get there. He arrived half-drunk and disturbed the opening meeting. But the next day he was soundly converted. He called up his wife and said, “You’ll probably not know me—everybody says I’m so changed, and I am.” When I saw him a month later I asked him about the battle with alcohol, and he replied, “The question hasn’t ever arisen. It’s gone. I have been and am almost deliriously happy.” One moment of acceptance of Grace, and he and his entire world were new.
O Lord of Change, make me a totally changed person—me and my world. For when I submit to and accept this change, I feel I am submitting to my inner destiny as well as your will. So in their coinciding I find life and find it more abundantly. I thank you. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I shall be the word of conversion become flesh.