Romans 12:2 - Transformation: Glimpses into How It Is Done.
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.
INTRODUCTION
God wants us to offer ourselves, not
animals, as 'living' sacrifices - daily laying aside
our own desires to follow him, putting all our
energy and resources at his disposal and trusting
him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude
that our sins have been forgiven. [Life
Application SB]
The religion of Christ is summed up in the
words, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself." But through love of the world, through
unsanctified ambition, through self-love, and desire for
supremacy, many are being conformed to the world,
although the command from the Gospel of Christ is,
"Be not conformed to this world [and the
preventative is given]; but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind." You must have a changed mind,
a renewed mind. The power of the Holy Spirit
must be felt working upon the heart and
character, producing a new man in Christ Jesus.
PH152;43,44
COMMENTARY PEARLS
God's Perfect Plan
The Bible reveals that God has a plan for
every life, and that if we live in constant
fellowship with Him, He will direct and lead us in the
fulfillment of this plan. God does not reveal His plan
through fortune-tellers, astrologers, soothsayers,
and workers of hocus-pocus. His perfect will is
reserved for those who have trusted Christ for
salvation. He shares His secrets only with those who
are redeemed and transformed, and who humbly
seek His will for their lives.
You cannot know the will of God for your
life unless you first come to the cross and
confess that you are a sinner and receive Christ as
Lord and Savior. Once you do come to Him, you
begin a whole new life - life not lived for
yourself but for Christ. From that moment on God
wants to show you His will. Whatever decisions you
face today, commit them to God and ask Him to
guide you - and He will.
God created us with a purpose; it's to
His Glory that we discover and live out that
purpose. Do you want to know God's will for you?
Come to Christ, and God will make known the
mystery of His will. (Ephesians 1:9) [Hope for Each
Day by Billy Graham]
A Positive Influence
I have found that the casual Christian
has little or no influence for good upon others.
Only the Christian who refuses to compromise in
matters of honesty, integrity, and morality is
bearing an effective witness for Christ.
The casual, worldly Christian is prepared
to do as the world does and will condone
practices that are dishonest and unethical because he
is afraid of the world's displeasure. He
ignores the Bible's clear command: "Do not be
conformed to this world."
Only by a life of obedience to the voice
of the Spirit, by a daily dying to self, by a
full dedication to Christ and constant fellowship
with Him are we enabled to live a godly life and
have a positive influence on this present ungodly
world. Is the world changing you ... or are you
changing the world? [Hope for Each Day by Billy
Graham]
COMMENTARY
An Imperative for Spiritual Success
Ive never met a Christian who was
failing spiritually and was also studying the Bible
diligently. That is because success or failure in the
Christian life depends on how much of the Bible we get
into our hearts and minds on a daily basis and
how obedient we are to it.
Billy Sunday became one of the great
evangelists of his generation. When he was a new
believer, an older Christian gave him this advice:
Take fifteen minutes each day to let God talk to
you, allow fifteen minutes to talk to Him, and
then spend fifteen minutes telling others about
the Savior.
He told Sunday that if he did these three
things, no one would ever write the word backslider
after his name.
Not only does the Bible contain truth,
but the Bible is truth. It is the standard by
which we measure all other so-called truth.
Romans 12:2 tells us, 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 (NLT).
If youre a hungry person spiritually,
then youre a healthy person spiritually.
Healthy people are hungry people, so its a good
sign if you hunger for more of Gods Word.
Ive spoken at various churches over
the years, and Ive discovered that I can take
the spiritual temperature of a congregation in
less than five minutes. Im able to get a very
real sense of where they are spiritually by how
many of them bring their Bibles to church.
Of course, its great to have the Bible
on a phone or tablet. But having said that, I
think its really great to carry an actual Bible
and mark it up as well. There is power in the
Word of God, and we should want to fill our lives
with it. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Your Circumstances and Thoughts Shape You
When you understand the five factors that
influence your identity, you can start on the road to
becoming all God created you to be. The first two
factors are chemistry (how you are made) and
connections (your relationships); you are a product of
the way God created you and of the relationships
in your life. The next two factors are your
circumstances and your consciousness.
Circumstances are the things that happen
to you and around you"none of which you
control. You are a product of the trauma, troubles,
suffering, shame, shock, pressures, and pain that have
shaped your life. Perhaps even abuse has affected
your identity. If youve ever experienced a
catastrophe or a series of failures, those too have left
an indelible mark on who you are.
Consciousness is how you talk to
yourself. Proverbs 4:23 says, Be careful what you
think, because your thoughts run your life
(NCV).
Your thoughts dont have to be true to
hurt you; you just have to believe them. If you
tell yourself your marriage wont last, then it
wont. If youre afraid you cant do something,
then you wont. Your thoughts run your life!
If youre like many people, your
thoughts are filled with the lies youve heard from
others. You repeat those thoughts in your head. As
you let them simmer and fester, they go deeper
into your consciousness and begin to shape your
identity. The truth is, if you talked to your friends
the way you talk to yourself, you probably
wouldnt be friends with them anymore.
Though its true that your thoughts
shape you, its also true that you can change
the way you think. Romans 12:2 says, Let God
transform you into a new person by changing the way
you think (NLT).
Remember: Your circumstances may be out
of your control, but God is in control of
everything; your thoughts shape you, but God can help
you think good thoughts.
Your circumstances and consciousness have
shaped who you are up until today. But, moving
forward, the way you respond to your circumstances
and the thoughts you choose to believe will
shape the rest of your life. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
When our minds are under the jurisdiction of
God's Spirit and God's word, the rest will
inevitably follow as He intends. We realize that God's
way is best and are delighted to walk in it. We
think before we act. We refuse to be shaped by the
molds of this world, learning to see where we are
being sold a mindset that is based on a lie rather
than the truth of God's word. [Truth for Life by
Alistair Begg]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
Romans 12:2 - Transformation: Glimpses Into
How It Is Done.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220201-0851.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
