TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Today is my tenth wedding anniversary! Wayne and I went to our favorite restaurant last night to celebrate. We both had filet mignon (cooked perfectly to the rare side of medium-rare — a good steak should almost moo)… Wayne had salad and potatoes, and I had the best French Onion soup in the world, plus broccoli with hollandaise. It’s hard to believe we will be hungry today, but I’m having my leftover dessert for breakfast — mixed berries in a pecan shell with whipped cream. Yum!
As I reflect on the past ten years, I can see how busy God has been. I could write a mile-long list of things He’s done in our lives, including one of the most amazing miracles of all — getting my husband to agree to move from Cincinnati, OH, to our home in Clemmons, NC.
But the greatest miracle is the work He’s done in us. When we were married, Wayne and I were churchgoers more in theory than anything else. Warm bodies in a pew every week; Church was something we did without much thought. But, after 18 years of not going to church at all, it was tremendous progress for me.
Today, we look forward to going to church. And I’ve gotten in the habit of listening to sermons on my walks while Wayne listens to them while he’s driving to (and for) work. We leave praise and worship music on the radio for our dog to listen to when we leave the house, and then I turn it up myself when I sit down at my desk. Both of us start our day reading our Bibles and in prayer.
We are living proof of how God can change a person. I can say with total confidence that I’m not the same woman I was ten years ago… or even five years ago.
The Bible often speaks of God’s ability to refine people. I love Ezekiel 36:26-27, which speaks of God turning a heart of stone into a heart of flesh…. I love 2 Corinthians 5:17, which reminds us that if anyone is in Christ, the old has passed away, and he is a new creation. I love Philippians 1:6, which says the work God is doing will be brought to perfect completion when we meet Jesus. And I love the Old Testament passages that speak of refining silver (Isaiah 48:10, Zechariah 13:9, Proverbs 17:3, Malachi 3:2-4). But for our verse of the day, we’re going to look at Romans 12:2, which says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
I think this is harder and harder in our culture when the world demands conformity to whatever the woke standard of the day happens to be. And it changes constantly. My favorite podcaster, John Cooper, talks about “woke cookies” and frequently points out how, in our culture, words are considered weapons, and the woke mob is constantly canceling people based on whatever they find offensive today. And once you’re canceled — forget about it. The damage is done. Incidentally, aren’t you glad that in our world where being offended seems to be a badge of honor to be achieved, we have the confidence of knowing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)?! I am.
Let me get off this rollercoaster, though, before I start down another dip from the point of today’s blog… how does one transform their mind from the world’s standard to God’s? It starts in the Word. God promises us in Jeremiah 29:13, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” When we seek God, He can work miracles of transformation in our lives.
Will we be canceled in today’s culture? You bet we will. But I can tell you of a major transformation in my mind… ten years ago, I firmly believed in marriage for anyone. Go marry a tree, for all I cared. I might think that person was weird, but whatever… to each their own. But when I re-committed my life to Christ, I knew that I had to take God at His Word completely or not at all. There was no middle. And He created marriage and defined it as a man and a woman committed for life. (As proof that the world will cancel anyone they disagree with, I would put money on the table that the Facebook algorithms will push this post WAAAAAAAAY down to keep people from reading an endorsement of traditional marriage.)
When I realized all of this, I didn’t want to be a Cafeteria Christian — choosing to put a great big spoonful of God’s love on my plate while skipping the parts I didn’t like. That’s not transformation. That pandering. That’s compromise. And neither are options if we want to be transformed and be in line with God’s perfect will.
Ten years ago, I was a different person. I married a different person. But thank God, He’s transformed our lives individually and together. We’ll see what He does with the next ten…
How has God transformed you?
Today, as you pray, thank God for doing the impossible — transforming broken, stubborn hearts and lives. Ask Him to keep working on you, and ask the Holy Spirit to transform your mind to the things of God, rather than the things of the world.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
