Ronald Reagan started eating Jelly Belly jelly beans as part of his effort to quit smoking. Before becoming President of the United States, Reagan had been a smoker but decided to quit the habit. He found that having something to occupy his mouth could help curb his craving for cigarettes. It wasn’t long before eating jelly beans became a well-known aspect of Reagan’s public persona; he was often seen with a jar of them nearby during his presidency.
Its worth paying attention to what Reagan did. He knew that choosing to quit smoking wasn’t enough. By adding a new behavior, he didn’t just remove the old, bad habit, he created a new one. This new one became part of him. He was identified by it.
Yes, this is an over-simplification of Jesus in our lives, but the principle holds true. As Luke 11:15 explains, we can try to clean up our lives all we want but until we invite Jesus in, the change is temporary. Then, it gets worse. Only Jesus provides real transformation that changes our behaviors and our identities (John 13:35).