Be Transformed
Scripture Romans
12:1-2 (ESV)
I appeal to you
therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing
you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect.
Devotion:
Today, we consider a scripture
passage that is familiar to us. In it Paul urges a change be made in
the lives of believers. The kind of change Paul is advocating for is difficult
and demands sacrifice be made to attain it. Not a bloody sacrifice like the
people of his day were accustomed to but an unbloody sacrifice that requires
the gift of one’s living self to God.
The reasons Paul wants us to give
ourselves to God as a living sacrifice are specific. The Romans were under intense pressure to follow the pagan rituals and emperor worship. Failing to
follow these rituals could get you in serious trouble. They could lead to loss
of livelihood, or even one’s life. But Paul calls on the Roman church to stand
firm against the tide of culture and take a stand for Jesus and the salvation
Jesus had begun in these believers.
Even today Paul’s call for renewal
of our minds is difficult for us to do. We do not like change and especially we
do not like sacrifice. However, our world needs to see a changed and renewed
church. Too long has the church gone along to get along as the cliché goes. We
have conformed to the world and lived as if the world was a perfectly fine
place for people to do as they wished. As long as we were free to meet with God
for an hour on Sunday mornings without interference.
The days of the world’s tolerance of
Christianity are fast ending. Our worship services are self-censored
to avoid offense to the world’s powers. A transformed church living out a vibrant
faith. Bearing in it the fruit of the Spirit. (love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control) would be a threat to the
status quo.
Yet this is precisely the kind of transformation
and renewal Paul is urging us to here in these verses. We need God to purify our
minds. Remove from us all the pollution left by the world, and live out lives
of virtue, holiness, and honor before the face of God and the face of the
watching world. Challenging the world to become a place more like the Kingdom of
God for which we ask every time we repeat the words of the Lord’s prayer. (Your
kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven). Let us turn the eyes
of our hearts toward heaven and ask for renewal of our minds after the way of
Christ.
Prayer:
Father in heaven, hear our plea to
you this day. Help us to understand what you want us to do to be an
effective church in today’s culture. Accept the sacrifice of our living bodies
we bring to you this day. Renew our minds by the power of the Holy Spirit. May
we learn to think your thoughts after you. Let us be a force for your kingdom
in the world. Change our individual lives so that corporately we may change the
world for your glory. Amen.
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