BIBLE PASSAGE:
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)
MEDITATION:
When a new year begins, many people start making resolutions.
Webster defines ‘resolution’ as,
‘a firm decision to do or not do something’.
It’s a kind of ‘reset’ time, when once again we ‘set our mind’ to
accomplish the things we failed to do in the previous year, or years.
In the physical realm, we resolve to…
have better eating habits, exercise more and lose weight.
In the financial area, we resolve to…
have better and wiser spending habits; reduce
the usage of credit cards and get out of debt.
In the planning arena, we resolve to…
get better organized, stop procrastinating, and
complete the things we plan to do in a timely manner.
In the spiritual realm, we resolve to…
attend worship services on a regular basis, pray more,
read the Bible more, and seek to know the Lord better
(which includes giving Him more control of our lives).
We also resolve to…
resist and repel the temptations from Satan
and develop the characteristics of Jesus.
Our list could go on and on, but it’s the spiritual area we need to focus
on. God has given believers a very short list of resolutions (only two).
The first resolution is to pray for the ‘renewal of our minds’. God doesn’t
need our help with the details of what that means, we just need to ask Him
to ‘renew our minds’, to have faith that He will, to trust Him to do it, and to
give Him the freedom to make the changes we need by embracing what He
does in our lives.
James spoke about the importance of having a renewed mind.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”
For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt
anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged
away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire
has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death.
(James 1:13-15)
Our mind is the gateway for Satan to infuse his will into our lives and
we need to make sure our mind is protected like a valuable commodity,
because it is!
When we ask the Lord to renew our minds and sincerely give Him
free reign to change us, all our other resolutions will fall into place.
God knows how to make us the type of person we need to be (which
pleases Him), and when He does, the changes will astound us!
The second resolution for Christians is to ‘discover God’s will for us’;
to know what He has created us to accomplish in our earthly life (as
participants of His ministry team). In his letter to the Colossians, Paul
spoke of the importance of God’s Will.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you,
we have not stopped praying for you. We continually
ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will
through all the wisdom and understanding that the
Spirit gives
(Colossians 1:9)
Notice Paul didn’t say that they prayed for the Colossians to get
a ‘general idea’ of God’s will. He said they prayed for God to
‘fill them’ with knowledge of His will. Paul knew that cursory
knowledge of His will would not suffice; they needed to fully
understand God’s will for their lives.
With a full knowledge, they would be able to see how their lives
‘mesh’ with God’s earthly ministry. It would also give them a
feeling of value and worth. Even though we may be discouraged
by many things, knowing that God considers us important is what
matters most, and should be an encouragement to us.
Paul also told the Colossians (and us) the benefits of discovering God’s
will for their lives.
“so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord
and please him in every way: bearing fruit in
every good work, growing in the knowledge of
God, being strengthened with all power according
to his glorious might so that you may have great
endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks
to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the
inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”
(Colossians 1:10-12)
ACTION:
Whenever we start a new year, rather than trying to make a list
of all the things we resolve to do (or not do), we should pray for
the Lord to ‘renew our mind’ and show us His will for our life. It
is our opportunity to express our faith and trust that our Almighty
God can, and will, change us!
Question to consider:
– Do I really want to continue a kind of humdrum existence, or
do I want to start living an exciting life fully connected to the
One who loves me and gave His life for me?
– How have I benefitted from charting my life without God’s direction?
– Do I feel that I’m missing out on a close relationship with the Lord?
Deciding to change and give the Lord a bigger portion of our lives,
might be a tough challenge for some. Why? Because we want to be
in control and we are shifting that responsibility to the Lord. It can
create a level of anxiety as we wonder what we will be required to
give up and the new things we will have to accept as we are changed.
However, when we yield control to the Lord and embrace the changes
required by Him, we will discover new things that we could have never
imagined, and more importantly, we will enjoy being ‘connected’ to the
Lord in a new way! We don’t have to wait for January 1, we can choose
to make our new resolution today and start living a spirit-filled life that
is exciting, challenging and gives us a new self-worth and purpose for living!
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I have seen how much I can fail when
trying to do things my way. My desire is to give You control
of my life through the renewing of my mind and discovering
Your perfect will for my life. Help me to relinquish my
selfishness and allow You to have full reign in my life.
I know that when You are in control, I will be on the right
track and I can enjoy fellowshipping with You. Thank You
for Your promises to all who believe and have surrendered
their lives to You!”
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