Renewing, Reshaping, Reconstructing
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Romans 12: 2 posts perhaps one of the greatest challenges to all believers of the Christian faith. To be more specific, I'm talking about the process of 'renewing of the mind'.
Let's face it, humans are habitual creatures. As such, we function by memories of the past and by what we've been trained or taught. That's the way we were made and rightly so. I find it interesting that the scripture was written like this,
and not the other way round, in the passive form... which could have sounded something like...
I believe the scripture was written in the former to simply remind us that to follow Christ, it will cost us. There's an emphasis here, a command even, if you dig a little deeper.
Whenever a sentence starts with "Do not...", it speaks of an imperative form, sort of like a command mixed with a tinge of warning. And when an imperative form is used, there is clarity in that particular statement; it's very clear as to what should be done and what should not be done. For instance, when God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, He also used an imperative form which made it very clear as to what should be eaten and what should not be eaten. Likewise, God is telling us something that is very clear here.
When the scripture says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world", God is basically saying, "If you wanna follow me, then forsake your old being, the being that is of the world, forsake your old thinking and precepts and forsake even the cravings that you have in this world". If we are unwilling to do that, then what we're actually doing is that we are not giving Him the access to transform us as He sees fit. We lock our doors and keep Him out. But you know what, here's the twist. We're the one who's locking ourselves out when God is the one who has always been in the house inviting us in. In John 15: 19, it says that "If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own...". Simply put, if we choose to conform to the pattern of this world, the world will bit by bit consume our whole being.
Good news is this...
If we do decide to follow him and forsake the things of the world, we are stepping into His house of newness. We are allowing and inviting the Holy Spirit to work in us. We are allowing God to transform us from the inside out. And when the Holy Spirit works in us, there WILL be a transformation. Do not doubt. It's an ongoing process of renewing, re-constructing and re-shaping of the mind, spirit and the heart. But remember, it always begins with a choice.
Let's face it, humans are habitual creatures. As such, we function by memories of the past and by what we've been trained or taught. That's the way we were made and rightly so. I find it interesting that the scripture was written like this,
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
and not the other way round, in the passive form... which could have sounded something like...
"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world."
so that you will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world."
I believe the scripture was written in the former to simply remind us that to follow Christ, it will cost us. There's an emphasis here, a command even, if you dig a little deeper.
Whenever a sentence starts with "Do not...", it speaks of an imperative form, sort of like a command mixed with a tinge of warning. And when an imperative form is used, there is clarity in that particular statement; it's very clear as to what should be done and what should not be done. For instance, when God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, He also used an imperative form which made it very clear as to what should be eaten and what should not be eaten. Likewise, God is telling us something that is very clear here.
When the scripture says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world", God is basically saying, "If you wanna follow me, then forsake your old being, the being that is of the world, forsake your old thinking and precepts and forsake even the cravings that you have in this world". If we are unwilling to do that, then what we're actually doing is that we are not giving Him the access to transform us as He sees fit. We lock our doors and keep Him out. But you know what, here's the twist. We're the one who's locking ourselves out when God is the one who has always been in the house inviting us in. In John 15: 19, it says that "If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own...". Simply put, if we choose to conform to the pattern of this world, the world will bit by bit consume our whole being.
Good news is this...
If we do decide to follow him and forsake the things of the world, we are stepping into His house of newness. We are allowing and inviting the Holy Spirit to work in us. We are allowing God to transform us from the inside out. And when the Holy Spirit works in us, there WILL be a transformation. Do not doubt. It's an ongoing process of renewing, re-constructing and re-shaping of the mind, spirit and the heart. But remember, it always begins with a choice.
Transformation does not happen overnight. Of course, God has the prerogative to do so if He wants to but more often than not, it doesn't work that way. He wants us to walk through the long way. But thing is this, whether it's the shorter or longer way, it will still cost us, that's for sure. In fact, Jesus even advised us to count the cost first before proceeding any further because He knows that it will cost us a lot.
When we truly understand who this great God is and what He wants to do in our lives, the cost that we have to pay will worth every single cent. When we are convicted of what God is doing and when we step into that conviction, it will birth forth a divine transformation because we no longer conform to the things of the world. The world becomes meaningless to us. His Word becomes our world instead.
I know there are still many 'old memories' that I need to put off and put on 'new memories'. So far, it hasn't been an easy ride. But what keeps me going for as long as it takes is the conviction that He has placed in my heart. God wants to build us to be champions, to be His armies of warriors, to be a Benaiah for His supreme glory and purposes. God, the Creator, wants to reshape each of us and I for one, wouldn't want to miss that for the world. Literally speaking :P
Will you also allow Him to reshape you?
When we truly understand who this great God is and what He wants to do in our lives, the cost that we have to pay will worth every single cent. When we are convicted of what God is doing and when we step into that conviction, it will birth forth a divine transformation because we no longer conform to the things of the world. The world becomes meaningless to us. His Word becomes our world instead.
Godly conviction brings about divine transformation.
I know there are still many 'old memories' that I need to put off and put on 'new memories'. So far, it hasn't been an easy ride. But what keeps me going for as long as it takes is the conviction that He has placed in my heart. God wants to build us to be champions, to be His armies of warriors, to be a Benaiah for His supreme glory and purposes. God, the Creator, wants to reshape each of us and I for one, wouldn't want to miss that for the world. Literally speaking :P
Will you also allow Him to reshape you?
Help me, O Lord, to allow you to
reshape me as You see fit.
reshape me as You see fit.
2 comments:
haha. putting off OLD memories can be really difficult, especially if they are really painful ones and have shaped us without us being conscious of it.
It IS hard. Hence, I said it's one of the hardest challenges God place in our lives ;)
Yea, I know what you mean. Those 'unconscious' things that shape us are the hardest to put off and the most dangerous as well cause' we don't even realize it!
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