Week 8 - Changes
This week in summary| Day 1 : Transformation | 2Corinthians 1-2 |
| Day 2 : The New Mind | 2Corinthians 3 |
| Day 3 : Surrender | 2Corinthians 4 |
| Day 4 : Prepare | 2Corinthians 5-6 |
| Day 5 : Planning | 2Corinthians 7 |
| Day 1 : Transformation | 2Corinthians 1-2 |
| Day 2 : The New Mind | 2Corinthians 3 |
| Day 3 : Surrender | 2Corinthians 4 |
| Day 4 : Prepare | 2Corinthians 5-6 |
| Day 5 : Planning | 2Corinthians 7 |
We were never supposed to be where we are right now. The world was supposed to be the perfect and complete wonderful paradise created by God: a place of perfect peace, contentment and communion. The communion that God has in mind for all of His created beings, but which was precluded by the disobedience in the garden that resulted in our un-transformation, so to speak. We were perfectly fitted to be constantly in the presence of the God of the Universe. But now ever since we were cast out of the Garden we have been in need of transformation. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12 that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The fact that we need to be transformed means that something happened to us, something that has changed everything.
The process of transformation is a daily practice. It is by no means a onetime thing. The Apostle Paul urges us therefore in view of God's mercy to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to God, this is our spiritual act of worship. A living sacrifice sounds to be, shall we say impossible. But it's not. In fact it's what God requires. Our lives should be in fact completely sacrificed to the One to whom we belong. Everything else is meaningless when compared to the One to whom we belong. As we move closer and closer to the One, we are transformed into what He longs for us to be: Holy and pleasing to Him.
The common butterfly is a perfect example for us. As the stages of its life unfold it becomes what it was always supposed to be, a beautiful creation that graces the sky and strikes wonder in the hearts of all who witness its beauty. The butterfly begins as a ravenous caterpillar, it travels and eats. Then all at once it stops eating and through an amazing process become a chrysalis. The caterpillar is encased in a hard shell or becomes a hard shell and stays that way for a period of time until one glorious day God reveals it for what He always intended it to be: a beautiful butterfly that flits through our world with its wonderfully colored wings.
So it is for us, a creation so far superior to the common butterfly it is completely amazing. We in fact are the very first fruits of His creative power. We are in fact His best. How should we not submit to His command to be completely transformed by His power into His perfect image? As followers of His Son we cannot. So I, as Paul did centuries ago say again, be transformed into His image for the world's sake and for ours.
God gives us a new identity, how does that change the way we live life?
The Bible tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds: literally begin again. Genesis describes our beginning in a garden paradise. But we separated from God and death entered the world. Since then we have been in need of a new beginning. That comes about by renewing of our minds with a new identity from God.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
- Psalm 1
In Psalm 1 we get the picture of what we were created to be, firmly planted in the truth of all that God has communicated to us. The psalmist says that that man is blessed because he dwells on the law of the Lord and on that Law he meditates day and night. Day and night, that does not leave room for much else that might influence our thinking. This one is described as a tree that is planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and whatever that one does prospers. Amazing! With our minds renewed we are everything we were ever supposed to be, fruit bearing followers of the Living Lord of the universe.
The really amazing thing about the person who is described in Psalm 1 is that is that they are prepared for life and are preparing for eternal life. In Proverbs 22:17-19 we find more benefits of a renewed mind where the writer tells us to, "Pay attention to the words of the wise; apply your hearts to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have them ready on your lips, so that your trust may be in the Lord."
For our trust to be in the Lord we must know Him and His Word. Keeping the words in our hearts means that we not only dwell on the Word we memorize it. We are literally made new by consuming His Word and believing what it says about us. We must believe the identity that God has for us and we demonstrate that by what we say and how we live our lives. The writer of this section of Proverbs says that having His Words in our hearts and having them ready on our lips will produce a pleasing life. It is pleasing Him to whom we listen, to us and to those that we meet along the way. The teaching here in Proverbs is consistent with Paul's instruction in Romans 12 that our lives should be a living sacrifice, set apart for God's use. This process of being made new is all at once and at the same time gradual. We are made new by the acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus and we are perfected by the continuing impact that Word has on our lives as study and live our lives according to it.
What does God say about who you are?
Are you going to trust what God says about you when evidence in your life points against it?
As we have been looking at transformation a thought has struck me, real transformation is hard. It always has been I suppose but for us in 21st century America there are so many conflicting philosophies that compete for our minds. As much as we don't want it to happen much of what the world thinks and practices finds its way into the life of the church.
Here are some common view points that are in direct conflict with the view that God holds and desires for His children to hold.
Don't try to change me just accept me for who I am. After all it's not my fault that God made me this way. I can't help it if this is who I'm supposed to be and no one should even try and change me. What makes you think that you could even come close to knowing enough about me to determine should be and how I should live my life. But that flies in the face of how God looks at this situation. Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 6; ...you are not your own you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Not my own, so I really have no right to say who I should be.
Then there is change by sheer will and determination. This is the old relocation by means of one's own boot straps. We think that if we reach high enough and try hard enough we'll be able elevate ourselves to the place we should be, like we even know what that is. But we can't even draw a breath of air without God's help much less draw to Him and become what we were always supposed to be on our own power.
That worked out real well for the inhabitants of the ancient world who thought they could make a name for themselves by building a tower to reach the heavens. (See Genesis 11) They were determined to do something together that would establish them as self-sufficient; again not God's plan. He is our God and causes everything to happen as He sees fit. We cannot exclude God from the transformation process. It's His process.
Lastly there is change based on environmental conditions. This view says that I am who I am because of what is going on around me. I can't help it if my situation has changed me, and everyone needs to just get over it. But blaming our lifestyle and behavior on our environment is too easy. That makes everything and everyone else responsible for the way we are. Just because everyone's doing it does not mean that we have to. We can through God's power become what He wants us to be, transformed into His perfect likeness.
All these view are completely at odds with what God thinks and we should be way more interested in what He thinks than anyone else. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says; "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come." The old has gone and the new has come, now that's transformation. Sheer determination and excuse making and blaming of others and our surroundings only gets in the way of true transformation. Real transformation comes from surrender to God.
Identify 3 opportunities facing you right now that may advance your purpose and vision
1
2
3
Identify 3 threats facing you right that hinder your purpose and vision
1
2
3
| Strengths | Weaknesses | |
| Strengths - Opportunities | Weaknesses - Opportunities | |
|---|---|---|
Opportunities | Prayer: Plan: | Prayer: Plan: |
| Strengths - Threates | Weaknesses - Threats | |
Threats | Prayer: Plan: | Prayer: Plan: |