In his great mercy he has given us new birth. 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
When the Bible says you have been born again it means that God has brought a deep change at the very center of your being. He has given you a new nature, and the first thing this means is that you have a new disposition.
God created you. He made you with your own unique gifts, personality, and temperament. The new birth does not violate what God has made. Shy sinners become shy Christians. Zany sinners become zany Christians. Cautious sinners become cautious Christians.
God’s Holy Spirit will help you to master your own temperament. He will give you power to overcome the effects of sin in your personality—like pride, anger, or greed. But God will not override his own work. He redeems his work by giving you a new disposition.
God never makes two snowflakes alike, and he certainly never makes two Christians alike. God takes the unique individuality that was born in you and moves that in a new direction. It is still you moving—desiring, thinking, and feeling—but in a new direction.
That’s what happened to Peter. Christ took this man with his exuberant temperament, his flair, and his passion, and moved him in a whole new direction. Peter and Thomas were completely different before they met Christ, and after they met Christ they were still completely different.
Has God given you a new disposition? How would you describe it? Take a moment to thank him for this.
