Romans 12:2 - Transformation: Glimpses Into How It Is Done.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is - his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 (NLT) Dont copy the behavior
and customs of this world, but let God transform
you into a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will learn to know Gods will for
you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Setting Goals for Fruitful Living
In the 70s, I experienced a turning point
in my walk with Christ. It started with 2
Samuel 7, which inspired me to follow in King
Davids footsteps. He spent time alone with God,
offering praise and thanksgiving. He would also
listen as the Lord revealed truth and offered
insight about the future. Because of what he
learned, David was able to set goals and stay aligned
with them.
Desiring that kind of solitude, I spent
several days alone in a camper at Georgias Stone
Mountain. Most of the time, I was silent, listening
intently for Gods voice. I asked Him to speak to
me regarding my future, and He answered. Using
a journal, I recorded the goals He inspired.
The things He communicated so impacted my
choices and so greatly blessed me that I continued
the discipline every couple of months.
Lets discuss how to establish aims in
this manner. First, come before the throne of
Almighty God with a repentant heart, praise, and
thanksgiving. Then, ask Him for direction in areas such as
spiritual life, career, and family. In silence, wait
patiently and attentively - as you read and meditate
upon Gods Word, He will speak. Most often, His
guidance is experienced as a prodding or conviction
in the heart. When that happens, be sure to
write down what youre hearing so you can
review it later.
In order to stay on the path God intends
for our lives, we should plan times to stop,
ask, and listen for guidance. The world throws
confusing messages at us all day long, and we need to
check our course frequently. These conversations
with the Lord are vital for a thriving life of
godly impact. [In Touch Daily Devotional by
Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org. re 2 Samuel
7:18-22]
COMMENTARY
You must remember that your will is the
spring of all your actions. This will, that forms
so important a factor in the character of man,
was at the Fall given into the control of Satan;
and he has ever since been working in man to
will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the
utter ruin and misery of man. But the infinite
sacrifice of God in giving Jesus, His beloved Son, to
become a sacrifice for sin, enables Him to say,
without violating one principle of His government:
Yield yourself up to Me; give Me that will; take
it from the control of Satan, and I will take
possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to
do of My good pleasure. When He gives you
the mind of Christ, your will becomes as His
will, and your character is transformed to be like
Christs character. Is it your purpose to do Gods
will? Do you wish to obey the Scriptures? If
any man will come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
5T515
God's Choice Shaping Tools
God's kindness to us is demonstrated by
the fact that He doesn't leave us in the
condition we were in before coming to faith. How
tragic it would be if we still thought, felt, and
acted the same way we did before receiving Christ
as our Savior. Throughout our lives, the Lord
uses His choice tools to shape us into the image
of His Son.
Prayer. By talking to the Lord in open
dialogue, we develop a relationship with Him. He
becomes not just our Savior, but our friend, and as
the intimacy grows, so will our passion to be
with Him. Setting aside time for prayer each day
will become a delight, not a duty.
God's Word. You can't grow in your
Christian life if you keep the Bible closed all week
long. No one lives on one meal a week, yet many
Christians try to get by with just a Sunday dinner of
the Word served up by their pastor. How can we
expect God's truth to do its transforming work if
we never let it into our minds and hearts?
The Church. Christ uses His body of
believers as a place for transformation. That's where
we rub against each other and have the rough
edges of our character smoothed. It is a place of
instruction, accountability, and encouragement.
Are you letting the Lord use His
character-shaping tools in your life? Our culture has no
shortage of worldly voices and pressures that fill
minds and influence behavior. Only when we
intentionally schedule time for God, His Word, and His
people can Christ do His transforming work in our
lives. [In Touch Daily Devotional by Charles
Stanley at www.intouch.org]
A Call to Godly Living
The apostle Paul lived in an age when
sensuality, the pursuit of pleasure, and rebellion
against the Lord were prevalent. In response, he
wrote letters urging Christians not to follow in
the ways of the world. Like those early
believers, we are to pursue godliness by...
1. Presenting our bodies to God. Our
total being--mind, will, emotions, personality,
and physical body--are to be turned over to our
heavenly Father (James 4:7a). Submitting ourselves to
the Lord requires a definite decision to give
Him control and a daily commitment to remain
under His authority. By surrendering to Him, we
will position ourselves for godly living.
2. Becoming living sacrifices. The
Christian life is built around the concept of
sacrifice. Jesus left the perfection of heaven to dwell
among a sinful people so He might reconcile us to
God. He offered up His life to make payment for
our sins (1 John 3:16) and brought us into His
family. As believers, we are to follow His example.
Paul called it a living sacrifice, because it is
ongoing--one that is repeated daily.
Life is full of options. Many decisions
involve a choice between following God's way or our
own. Maturing Christians will increasingly
sacrifice their own desires and embrace His will.
A life of godliness is characterized by a
heart and mind bent toward the things of God.
Although we will live imperfectly, our focus is to be
on obeying His will and pleasing Him. Let's
commit to becoming more like Jesus, the One who
willingly gave Himself to God as a sacrifice for us.
[In Touch Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at
www.intouch.org]
Conformer or Transformer?
Are you a conformer or a transformer?
Either you will be conformed to this world, or you
will transform the world.
The apostle Paul wrote, Dont copy
the behavior and customs of this world, but let
God transform you into a new person by changing
the way you think. Then you will learn to know
Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and
perfect (Romans 12:2 NLT).
You can decide to not stand out in any
way, or you can decide to be a light for Jesus
Christ.
Psalm 84:11 tells us, The Lord will
withhold no good thing from those who do what is
right (NLT). If the Lord tells you not to do
something, then He is trying to keep you from a bad
thing. Because if it was a good thing, He would
give it to you.
Psalm 34:8 says, Taste and see that
the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take
refuge in him! (NLT).
Now, our definition of good might be
different than Gods definition of good. Our
definition of good probably is something along the
lines of whats fun, pleasurable, free of pain,
and in the moment.
But Gods definition of good may be
what is productive, character forming, and
eternally focused. There are things we go through that
are not enjoyable at the moment, but theyre
producing something that is far greater.
We look at the small picture; God looks
at the big picture. We look at the here and
now; God looks at the by and by.
His will for us is good, even though it
might be difficult at times. One day well see
that. But until that day, we have to trust the
Lord. So present yourself to God. Dont be
conformed to this world. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
ILLUSTRATION
We have two cars. Our old car and our
good car. Our old car is a minivan that looks
like we have driven it through a war zone, and
the inside smells like old cheese. Our good car
is an SUV that we bought used a few years ago.
It looks nice and still has a faint odor of
new-care smell. Up until recently, our good car has
been good. Then it wasn't.
The steering started to go all wonky.
(Wonky is clearly a technical term.) When turning
to the right, the entire car would shudder and
groan. We took it to our mechanic. The suspension
had to be replaced along with the wheel
bearings. And yet without them, our good car wasn't
any good. It couldn't function the way it was
meant to function. It couldn't fulfil its purpose.
Brand-new parts were in order. A full-blown auto
renewal.
Likewise, we regularly need new parts on
our journey of following Jesus. We may not have
a steering system, so to speak. But our
thoughts, our dreams, and our desires, which direct us
in life, need renewing on a regular basis. Our
minds need to be revamped by the power of Jesus.
Without His renewal, without His truth shaping our
thinking, we can't function properly. We begin to
break down. We can't go where He wants us to go or
be who He wants us to be without His constant
care and input in our lives. We need His wisdom
to show us where to go and how to live. by
Susanna Foth Aughtmon
Faith Step: Meditate on this verse today.
What does it mean to be transformed by the
renewing of your mind? Ask Jesus to renew your
thinking and bring it into alignment with His good,
pleasing, and perfect will. [Mornings With Jesus 2019
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Romans 12:2 - Transformation: Glimpses Into
How It Is Done.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190825-1122.html
Proverbs 3:5, 6 - Listen And Live For God
And He Will Direct Your Way.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20131214-1538.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor
(recent): https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio (recent):
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
