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    It’s all the rage in personal computers. It’s forced the price of new computers down. It’s enticed many of us to open our own computer cases and dig around in the “innards” of the computer itself. It’s led us to learn about RAM, sockets, processor speeds, CPU fans, motherboards, jumpers, and IDE cables.

    With the rapid decline in the cost computer processor and memory chips, one of the cheapest and quickest ways to get a better computer is to take the motherboard out of the old computer and install a new motherboard with a new CPU chip in its place. Then you reattach the cables, add the RAM chips, and bingo! You have a new faster computer without having to reinstall your programs or change any of your peripherals. Because the heart of the computer is changed, everything works better and faster, but the cost is much less in money and time. It may not look new on the outside, but the heart of the machine is not only newer, it’s better! It’s a true upgrade.

    In a world that markets everything as new and improved, upgrading the heart of something without changing its external appearance is a bit bizarre. But bizarre doesn’t mean bad in a world of façade and spin. Improving from the inside out is nearly always best. We heal best from our physical wounds from the inside out. Good health programs don’t just focus on making the outward appearance look better, they stress cardiovascular improvement—they want to improve our heart. In much the same way, we grow best spiritually when we grow from the inside out. While external appearance may be our most important personal attribute to others, God doesn’t look at our outward appearance, but at our heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

    So how do Christians say to God, “Upgrade me, please?”

• First, we confess our sins and shortcomings ask God to truly upgrade us—to make our heart new and pure. (1 John 1:9)

• Second, we ask God to continue to transform us to be more like Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

• Third, we regularly put good and holy materials into our hearts to renew our thoughts and clarify our focus through what we read, see, pray, and sing. (Proverbs 4:23; Ephesians 5:17-21)

• Fourth, we obey what we know to be the clear will of God in our daily lives to honor Jesus as our Lord trusting that he is doing the work of transformation on our hearts. (John 8:31-32)