Let God renew your mind and develop a capacity to look at life like He does by reading the Bible.
We would love to hear from you! Please send us your comments here.
SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Have you ever wished God would just send you an email straight from heaven? Well, Joni’s got something to say about that. Lean in for the blessing.
JONI: I’ve told you that this year, once again, Ken and I are reading through the Bible in a year, and we sure love doing it. However, I must say that in our reading through the Bible, I keep noticing all these passages of God speaking to His people through His prophets, or through dreams, or from angels who bring divine messages. In one instance, God even wrote a personal message on a wall to explain what was about to take place. I mean, back in the Old Testament, God made His will very plain and very easy to grasp. I mean, you know, when a prophet tells you something; or an angel gives you a message, there’s not much doubt about what God wants you to do. It’s pretty much a direct message, right?
Now, not that I feel envious, but wouldn’t it be great if, today, angels and prophets gave us direct instructions from God? I mean, that would be so helpful, especially when it comes to big decisions about a job or your home or family, or especially choices that are going to have impact for years to come. But God does not give us instructions through prophets and angels. And it does not mean that we do not rate like Old Testament people. No, far from it. In fact, nowadays, God does something, oh, my goodness, so much more better. Sam Allberry puts his finger on it in his Desiring God blog. Sam describes that better thing in Romans 12. Get this – God renews our minds, giving us the capacity to discern His will. God does not spoon-feed us with direct emails from heaven.
No, in fact, I like the way Sam puts it. He says, “[God] gives us the capacity to discern His will … is hugely dignifying. Because God is not telling us what to think at every moment, but He’s telling us how to think. God is rarely telling us what decision to make, but He’s teaching us how to make decisions … God does not give us a spiritual GPS, saying, ‘turn left here; then turn right.’ No, instead He gives us a road atlas, [telling us in His word], ‘This is your destination; get here, by all good means available.’” And I would agree with Sam. By renewing our minds, God is showing us how to think. He is teaching us how to make good decisions – the sort of decisions He would make, how to find out for ourselves what He wants. And that’s what I love about the God of the Bible.
And honestly, as I spend time in God’s Word every day with my husband, I can tell – I really can – tell that my mind is being renewed. I find myself agreeing with many more Proverbs; I find myself running after God’s commands; I find that my sense of sin is being sharpened. And I'm just making better decisions. My husband even commended me the other day on that very thing. And the best part is, as I read the Bible, I stop thinking as the world thinks. I recognize messages from the world for what they are: deceitful and full of lies and false promises. How much better it is to have the Holy Spirit renew your mind and conform your thinking to the things that delight the Lord.
So, take a closer look at Romans 12, the second verse. “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.”
SHAUNA: Oh, friend, be transformed. Be changed. Do not look for God’s finger writing on the wall – go one better: let God renew your mind and develop a capacity to look at life like He does. Or, as Sam Allberry puts it, “… to have your mind rebooted with God’s new operating system.” That’s your Romans 12 challenge for today.
© Joni and Friends