Renew Your Mind
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January 02, 2011 |
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 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2)
If you want to receive the New Year with joy and bear many fruits, above all, you have to renew your mind and be transformed. Only when you transform your inner person by the truth and put on the new self, can you do the will of God that is good, acceptable and perfect.
1. Do Not Be Conformed to the World
The account recorded in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power," expresses the spiritual state of this age.
In our time, men love themselves so much that they adorn themselves with various jewels, high-end watches, and famous brand-name clothes. They drive a deluxe car and seek all kinds of worldly trends. How many people are rebellious against each other because of money though they are parents and children, brothers and sisters, and couples? Still less, leaders in various societies and intellectuals do not hesitate to commit crimes for their own benefits. Anyone can feel lawlessness is rampant everywhere.
What a great pity to hear that men's love has really cooled down and they commit sins that violate moral laws: some parents forsake their children and conversely some children beat, accuse or even murder their parents! We can feel this age is 'difficult times in the last days' recorded in the Bible. Therefore, we should not be conformed to this world but be transformed through the renewing of our mind in order to become the children of God who are pleasing to Him.
2. You Must Be Renewed and Transformed in Your Mind
A farmer has to cultivate his field and turn it into a good filed to reap abundant harvest. In the same way, it is very important to cultivate our heart field and make it good one. A man inherits sinful natures and other attributes of the flesh from his parents, so his heart filed is found fallow ground. And as he takes untruths at home and schools through what he sees, hears and is taught, his heart filed becomes more fallow, because what he learns is different from the Word of God.
Hosea 10:12 reads, "Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you." What do you have to do to cultivate your fallow heart-field and renew your mind? First of all, you have to worship God in spirit and in truth. When you attend the worship services, you have to keep your garments tidy and neat, pray and sing hymns to God with all your heart and sincerity, and carefully listen to the messages preached. And you have to give God offerings with joy and thanksgiving, and present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. Then, you will have spiritual understanding of the Word of God and receive the grace and strength of God so that you can throw away your sins and live by the Word of God. This is the transformation through the renewing of your mind.
3. You Have to Seek the Will of God that Is Good, Acceptable, and Perfect
A. The Good Will of God
Goodness refers to the Word of God that is the truth, and also the will and thought of God. In Mark 10:17-18, a man ran up to Jesus and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone."
Jesus didn't mean He is not good. He really meant goodness in men's sight is totally different from goodness in God's sight and in that sense, God alone is good. Any child of God must realize God is really good and only His Word is goodness and truth, so that he has to keep listening to, learning and making his spiritual bread of God's Word and putting it into action.
B. The Will Acceptable to God
Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him." On the contrary, when you show the deeds of faith, He is pleased and answers your prayers quickly.
In Matthew 8, a centurion asked Jesus to heal one of his servants of his paralysis. Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him," but the centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed." When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel." And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed," and the servant was healed that very moment. Thus, when you show the proofs of your faith following the truth that is the good will of God, God is pleased and answers you.
C. The Perfect Will of God
Even though you know the good will of God and have faith, your faith is considered as incomplete if you don't show the deeds of faith. It's because it is written in James 2:26, "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." It is important to profess your faith with your lips, but much more important to perfect your faith with the works of faith. If you determine to pray without ceasing, you have to pray unchangingly; if you determine to rejoice, you have to rejoice in any trials. These deeds can make your faith perfect.
When Abraham obeyed the command of God telling him to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering, he was completely made righteous by God, called a 'friend of God' and appointed as the 'father of faith.' I pray in the name of Jesus Christ you may not be conformed to this world at all but be transformed through the renewing of your mind so that you can discern the will of God, which is good, acceptable and perfect and show the deeds of faith worthy to receive the same blessings that Abraham did.
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