A Transformed Life

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. — Romans 12:2

In Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul called his readers to respond to God’s grace and mercy with total devotion — “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” He based this instruction on the overwhelming grace God has shown us in Christ. He spent the first eleven chapters of Romans explaining the sovereign grace of God and our salvation in Christ. In doing this, he tells us that our love for God grows out of His mercy toward us, and that love compels us to offer our whole lives to Him as an act of worship. This is a daily surrender to Him, where every aspect of our lives is brought under God’s authority. In all, when we offer our worship in love, we refuse to compartmentalize our faith. 

In verse two of Romans twelve, Paul describes the means by which our transformation takes shape. It is by not being conformed to this world, but by being transformed by the renewal of our minds. Our world continually presses us to fit within its molds, shaping our values and priorities away from God and toward ourselves. But as our minds are renewed by Scripture, prayer, the Sacraments, and Christian fellowship, our thinking is reshaped according to God’s truth. This renewal leads to discernment as we begin to recognize and desire what is “good and acceptable and perfect” in God’s will. Love for God is intellectual and practical. It affects the way we think and how we live. Think today about how you can grow in joyful obedience to the God we love. Think today about how you can grow in joyful obedience to the God we love. 

Prayer: Lord, thank You for transforming me in Your grace and refusing to leave me in my sin. Enable me to fight against the pressures our world places on me so I can follow you more faithfully. 

Reflection Questions: 

1. What patterns of thinking in your life reflect conformity to the world rather than transformation by God’s truth? 
2. How can you intentionally pursue the renewal of your mind through Scripture and prayer this week? 

Weekly Memory Verse: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. — 1 John 5:3