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Something that will help us all stay connected - keep up the discussion – on the Live Stream. Like, follow, and share these morning devotions. And don’t forget to check in @ Richland Church of the Nazarene. If you think about it, you should comment in the video – whenever you watch this video – and let us know where you’ve seen God lately. I’m looking for you to be looking for what I call God sightings… Put it in the comments.
So, we talked a bit about the struggle that we all feel in regards to learning to live this life of holiness God’s Word calls us to live. All of us have areas of change we desire to make. However, change is rarely easy. Yet God’s purpose for our lives is to be conformed into the image of Jesus. The first step of change involves renewing our minds with the truth of God.
I believe, we often want this to be an instant transformation. Like adding the Kool-Aid powder to the water and sugar and instantly you have colored, flavored water. It has been my experience that there are times like that in my life, where The Holy Spirit causes quick growth. But, more often than not, this transformational process is more like the process a caterpillar undergoes when changing into a butterfly.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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.
Now I want you to pause for a moment, and contemplate your age. I know – there are some of you who are like me and do not like to think about how old we are. But take a minute and think about everyone and all the experiences you’ve had over the years that make you – you.
It’s seriously taken this long for you to grow into the person that you are today. How many years has it taken for you to get here?
Now, I will say this, I remind people of this all the time when we look to invite the Holy Spirit to transform our lives He indeed will – and the transformation will be lifelong – but He’s not going to go at warp speed.
Think of this journey as walking up a very long flight of stairs. We can’t go 2 or 3 steps at a time all the way up, we’ll trip and fall or have to stop and catch our breath. But when we step on step one, then two, then three and so on and so forth, we will make it to the top. And what seemed so insurmountable, becomes attainable.
A good friend of mine – Rev. Hal Perkins has written a couple of books: Walk With Me & Discipled By Jesus. Both of these are tremendous books that truly bring us to the point of being transformed – by the renewing of our minds through the reality that Jesus still wants to disciple you and me today – right now – this moment. However, we will not be transformed if we don’t spend intentional time with Jesus.
If there is anything that I remember, or have learned and put into practice from my brother Hal, it’s that Jesus called The Disciples way back then, and He also calls us today to follow Him. If I’m going to follow Him, I need to know what He did. If I remember correctly Jesus did these things… (Paraphrased from Walk With Me)
First, Jesus spent time with the Father. On several occasions in the Gospels we see that Jesus went off to pray alone on a hillside as was his custom. Jesus being the very Son of God – and Paul in His letter to the Philippians tells us that Jesus is in His very nature God – did not see that equality with God was something to be attained, yet Jesus being all of that spent time with the Father.
Second, Jesus only did His Father’s will. He spoke of doing what He saw the Father do, or only doing that which pleases the Father and Jesus did only what the Father commanded.
Third, Jesus judged as the Father judged. He told the Disciples that apart from the Father, He could do nothing. Those are His words, that He was unable to do anything apart from the Father.
Finally, Jesus spoke as the Father spoke. Several times in the book of John Jesus mentions that the words He speaks are not His own, the words He speaks are only those that are in agreement with the Father. And that He did what He did, only because the Father was living in Him.
This transforming of the mind does not take place overnight, but is a lifelong process.