Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A Life Long Decision

One Sunday morning, Stuart Henry, Director of Graduate Studies in Religion at Duke University, met one of his students who was walking on the sidewalk toward him.

Professor,” asked the student, “did you decide to go to church this morning?”

“No,” he answered, “I didn’t make the decision to go to church this morning. I made it fifty years ago when I first became a Christian. It is never a decision of whether or not I’ll go to church, but where I’ll go to church wherever I am.”

Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome said, “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do!”

What a challenge to Christians! God wants to transform us into new persons by changing the way we think. He begins this process of renewal when we surrender our will completely to Him to do what He would have us to do. Certainly, if God has a plan for the universe, He must have a unique plan for each of us – for we are His children through the work of His Son on the cross.

If there is no change in our lives and if our behavior is no different from the worldly behavior of the unsaved, we have not allowed the Holy Spirit to renew our minds. We know that our minds have been renewed when Godly thoughts seep down into our hearts and we refuse to conform to the world’s values and standards. We become different by the choices we make and the choices we make reflect the goodness and grace of God. We are willing to lay aside our desires and follow Him. We gladly put all of our energy and gifts at His disposal and became willing to sacrifice our lives to His will and our ways to His way. This act of surrender arises from the gratitude we have for His salvation.

Prayer: We pray, Heavenly Father, that we will allow Your Holy Spirit to renew our minds and redirect our lives to reflect the transformation that You brought to our hearts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

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