Paul tells the Roman Christians (and us) in his letter to them (Romans 12:2):
'be transformed by the renewing of your mind...'
Frankly sometimes that seems as difficult to me now as it did when I first read the words as a child.
Paul insists that our mind is the battlefield in our fight to resist being shaped by society around us and so God demands the 'renewal' of our mind.
Michael Frost of The Navigators says this:
'When the Spirit renews our minds, all of life becomes an act of worship. That's because the Spirit not only opens our eyes to see who Christ really is, but also breaks our hearts to see who we really are...and when that happens, we find within ourselves that there's this growing and nurturing sense of the greatness of God and the beauty of God's love...all of life becomes charged with the presence of God, and we find ourselves wanting to offer more and more of our lives to God as act of sacrificial worship....as we steadfastly focus on Jesus, devoting ourselves as His students and disciples, the Spirit renews our thinking and our behavior, and we become more like Him. He actually transforms us into the image of Son of God.'
I love these words. They help me understand the process. I love the idea that "all of life" can become "an act of worship." And our lives can be "charged with the presence of God" and we will want to give more and more of ourselves to Him.
That's what I want to happen to me.
Father, please transform me into the image of Your Son. Help me focus on Him and allow Your Spirit to renew my thinking and behavior. I love You and want so much to please You. Amen.
'be transformed by the renewing of your mind...'
Frankly sometimes that seems as difficult to me now as it did when I first read the words as a child.
Paul insists that our mind is the battlefield in our fight to resist being shaped by society around us and so God demands the 'renewal' of our mind.
Michael Frost of The Navigators says this:
'When the Spirit renews our minds, all of life becomes an act of worship. That's because the Spirit not only opens our eyes to see who Christ really is, but also breaks our hearts to see who we really are...and when that happens, we find within ourselves that there's this growing and nurturing sense of the greatness of God and the beauty of God's love...all of life becomes charged with the presence of God, and we find ourselves wanting to offer more and more of our lives to God as act of sacrificial worship....as we steadfastly focus on Jesus, devoting ourselves as His students and disciples, the Spirit renews our thinking and our behavior, and we become more like Him. He actually transforms us into the image of Son of God.'
I love these words. They help me understand the process. I love the idea that "all of life" can become "an act of worship." And our lives can be "charged with the presence of God" and we will want to give more and more of ourselves to Him.
That's what I want to happen to me.
Father, please transform me into the image of Your Son. Help me focus on Him and allow Your Spirit to renew my thinking and behavior. I love You and want so much to please You. Amen.
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