Don’t 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 God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 NLT)
I think on reading this verse, a lot of people’s first inclinations, including mine for a long time, is to make a list of “worldly things” that they shouldn’t do, and then strive to avoid them. Things like, “I won’t do drugs. I won’t swear. I won’t smoke. I won’t ____________ (insert worldly activity here).
In that single act, we have done what my pastor talks about so much: we reduce God’s commands to a to-do list that we try to follow in order to make God happy. After all, western cultures are far more goal- oriented and task- driven. We like to make lists and cross items off as we accomplish them.
It seems to me that the essential part of this verse is “but let God transform you into a new person by CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK.” It’s not just about acting a certain way or doing/ avoiding certain things. It’s also about letting God remake you on the inside.
It’s a scary thing to give God control and let Him change the way you think. In fact, I’m not sure I even know how to go about doing that. But it seems that if God is in charge of my thoughts, then my actions will follow out of response.
My problem is, and I assume most people struggle with this, keeping my thoughts on God in the first place. It’s like having Spiritual ADD or something (not sure if that’s the right term). I sit down with my bible, determined to read and study the Word, or I go to church/ bible study anxious to learn, but a shiny object comes by and takes my focus away. Money, jobs, relationships, all the “what- if’s” of life, worries, etc all fight for control of my attention. I feel like I’m always giving God my second- best.
Here’s an amazing clip from the devotional I’m reading, “Jesus Calling”:
“As you focus your thoughts on Me, be aware that I am fully attentive to you. I see you with a steady eye, because my attention span is infinite. I know and understand you completely; my thoughts embrace you in an everlasting love. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). How amazing it is to know that even though our thoughts aren’t always focused on God, His thoughts are always focused on us. He knows the hairs on our heads, and He has a plan for each of us. He focuses on us with an intensity that we can’t wrap our minds around.
This year, I want to think about God, and let that transform me from the inside out.
johnnydeegs 