The Willingness To Let God Transform Our Lives
~ Pastor Biakson
Texts: Romans 12:1-2 ; Daniel 6:10
The human body is a prerequisite for a worship that is acceptable and pleasing to God. God wants our bodies as a living sacrifice for a spiritual worship – not our possessions, talents, contributions, voice, and so on. This worship necessitates a change in us – a change that is not about following the ways of the fallen world, but rather about looking towards God, and seeking to please Him. It requires a change that is guided not by the thinkings, sayings, and/or doings of men who are not motivated by the Spirit of God, but one that is deeply rooted in the divine principles of God which are revealed through his word. In other words, pleasing God in worship entails living a transformed life through the renewal of the mind. God is more interested in changing our minds than our circumstances. Circumstances will change – they always do – but if there is no change of mind whatsoever, then all else is futile. What God wants is the change that stems from within, from the renewal of the mind and reordering of life: this is the most perfect change that is approved by God.
Two types of changes
1. Change that displeases God (Conformation)
When we change along with the world, and copy its customs and behaviours thereof, we become a part of the cultural mainstream. This often results in straying away from the path of God. Constantly adapting and adjusting to the changing world like a chameleon that changes colour according to its surrounding will only do us more harm than good. This emphasis on the external appearance rather than internal change is delusive. Outward appearance of righteousness, say, attending church regularly without seeking God’s approval or with a heart that is unchanged, is a way of adjusting to the world and not an acceptable worship.
In Daniel 6:10, we see that Daniel prayed not because he was distraught, but because it was what he always did. Resolute in his belief and commitment to God, Daniel did not conform to his surroundings, or be outwardly righteous, but genuinely offered his worship, and this pleased the Lord. Contrariwise, we know Lot conforming to his surrounding, growing his roots deeper and deeper each passing day, which drew him closer and closer to more sin and destruction.
Genesis 13:10 says “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.” More often than not, the process of conformation to the ways of the world starts with the eyes as can be seen above. This covetousness of Lot resulted in him “dwell[ing] in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:12). In Genesis 14:12, we can see that Lot did indeed “dwell in Sodom”. Caught up in the things of the world, Lot was entangled by them – he was hesitant to leave Sodom, his home, despite being constantly urged to make haste before God destroyed it.
2. Change approved by God (Transformation)
The effort to transform one’s life through the renewal of the mind (changing the way one thinks) is the change that God demands of us. A beautiful analogy of this change or metamorphosis is that of the life cycle of a butterfly. From an egg, and then to a larva, the butterfly finally needs to breakout of its pupa to become a full-formed creature. It is a gradual and physical process. However, the spiritual transformation of a human being is that of the renewal of the mind. The mind controls our lives: it controls our being. However the mind is also a battleground where there is a constant conflict between the good and the bad. The foremost enemy of the mind is no one but its own being. It is in this tossing and turning of the mind that Satan works and executes. Everything that man has learnt about the world- its values and strongholds, all clamour in the mind. Often the mind is blinded and deceit originates from it; all that it has seen, thought, and known in the past affects the mind. This transformation that we must seek causes us to see, think, talk, and act differently from the world, and from our past. This is the change that God wants and it starts from within. And this transformation and progressive renewal must and will continue as we walk in the light of God’s word. Therefore, like we would sustain the physical life by appropriate feeding, we need to feed our spiritual life and mind with the word of God. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3: 16). Feed your mind, free your mind, and focus your mind on the right things.
Are you conformed or transformed? Has your world changed for the better since you accepted God as your savior? Has your relationship with God blossomed over the years, or has it deteriorated? Do you read your Bible everyday? Do you see yourself grow more and more each day or are you being conformed to the pattern of this world? Are you willing to be transformed?
