-

 Romans 12:2-3 - Think Differently - Self-Evaluation

Sunset West of Calgary

Well, I guess we’re all part of the wrestling team.  Every human is.  We wrestle with ourselves, the world, and God.  Everyday.  God warns us here to get in the game, to play to win, and to have the mental toughness to know ourselves as we follow Him.

        Not to overuse the verb, but I’ve wrestled with this passage.  Frankly, most of my application of this passage is lame and insincere.  I haven’t taken the warning seriously.  Paul warns us with all the power and authority God gave him.  It seems Paul meant business.  What do we do with this warning?  How exactly do we allow God to transform our thinking?  How do we move from self-serving worldly ways and selfish ambition to seriously trusting God’s Way?  How do we practice counter-culture?  How do we think differently?  How do we learn God’s will?

        I suggest we start by getting the black hole of our human desire and deception out of the way (Proverbs 27:10).  We deceive ourselves with our foolish and simple self-evaluations.  Let’s stop that.  Lord God, I’ve failed your standards a thousand times a thousand.  I’ve loved sin and given lip service to following the Way.

This passage tells us we need a sober self-evaluation.  We know that we are easily puffed up and then sifted by Satan.  If we didn’t need to take precautions, God would not warn us as He does here.  Let us not be deceived.  Let’s fight to win - with God’s help and on God’s team, following His Way.  Let us love and serve others well today.  The other parts of God’s body are essential.  You and I belong to them - we are here today for them.  Stop bragging about tomorrow.  We have no idea what’s in store.  That’s it.  It’s not unnecessary self-flagellation.  It is the sober reality for the Christian.  God transforms us into new people by changing the way we think.  And that means getting honest with ourselves.

        Lord God, we know your Way is good, pleasing, and perfect.  We need your help and guidance today.  Amen.

 

Sylvan Lake, AB


Comments

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear your comments, and if you have questions email me at dcbell1111@gmail.com.

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
 2 Timothy 3 - Are You a Christian, Christian?           Early in my legal career (I'd been practicing about five years and about five years into my Christian walk) I had an interesting encounter with the CEO of one of our firm’s clients.  It was 2001 and technology companies were thriving.           My neighbors in S.W. Calgary were Lebanese immigrants and faithful members of their mosque.  They were some of the best neighbors we’ve ever had.  They owned a bakery that made Pita bread.  I’ll never forget the day we took possession of that house.  As they often would in the eleven years we lived there, they brought me a big bag of fresh bread.  We shared many good conversations with them over the years.  I love them and I pray God blesses them.           My neighbors had a friend from the mosque who was the CEO of Wi-LAN - a publicly listed tech company that held patents for technology that was key to the Blackberry - and later many other mobile phones.  Wi-LAN made many in the mosq
Read more
-
Image
 Hebrews 6 - Faith and Endurance These next two chapters of Hebrews are incredibly encouraging for the Christian.  God gives us confidence and courage to do what we must.  When the whistle blows, be ready to go.  God in Heaven is developing your character; He’s preparing you to fight His battles.           We are responsible to grow.  We know that God repays people for the wrong they have done (Jeremiah 50:24).  And that God uses whomsoever He chooses as His instruments of justice (Jeremiah 50:20).  “For the LORD is a God who gives just punishment; he always repays in full” (Jeremiah 50:56). Thinking of God’s character is sobering, and good.  We know Jesus is the King, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.  In the next few chapters, we hear the truth about who Jesus is and our responsibilities to Him. Nearly 2,000 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of our King we are reminded that there are false teachers today - those leading people astray for power and greed - just as there
Read more
-
Image
 Hebrews 2:1-5 - Signs and Wonders - Miracles and Gifts I can shock myself at my inability to learn simple lessons.  They say just showing up is 90% of success.  Well, I’m confident inattentiveness, waffling, and ambivalence are keys to failure. In this passage, we hear yet again a warning to “listen very carefully” to God’s message or we run a real risk of total failure - drifting away from God (2:1).  With responsibility comes consequences.  Just ask any sentry, goaltender, place-kicker, or pilot.  You have a job to do - if you don’t do it well the results are clear.  So, let’s do it well. It’s the same as we develop and grow as Christians.  We have to make a decision to grow.  I've been reading about growthmindset lately and I think God is finally getting through to me.           It will not come as a shocker to any dad hooked on porn, a mom who has dabbled in an office romance, or the pastor who’s craftily swindled money from the church.  Christians can’t just casually li
Read more