This post is Day 6 in a series of studies about “A Living Sacrifice”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today (the form is at the bottom of the page).

A Living Sacrifice – Day 6

God told us in the commandments to love Him with all our mind, heart, soul and strength. If we really took renewing our minds seriously we would never have time to think about anything else and would do as Jesus did, only do what we see the Father doing.

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will.

The Thought

Another day on this verse because it is so rich. Yesterday we looked at it in a practical physical sense. But in fact the renewing of our minds is much more spiritual than that. Remember that God told us in the commandments (Exodus 20) to love Him with all our mind, heart, soul and strength (Mark 12:30).

If we really took that seriously we would never have time to think about anything else. We would do as Jesus did and “only do what we see the Father doing” (John 5:19).

The fact is that Jesus expects us to take this seriously as Paul did after he had had his mind renewed. He was changed completely from the aggressive murderer that he had been. Miraculously he became one who spoke of Jesus as the Saviour of all. That is what He is.

The changing of Paul’s mind was a dramatic Damascus road experience (Acts 9:1-17) which most of us are not privileged to have, so we have to continually work at the renewing of our minds persuading ourselves to think according to what the Bible says. As we look at being a LIVING Sacrifice this month, we will learn a bit more about right living.

Action

Think today about some of things you do regularly, both good and bad habits, and ask yourself how you developed them. Because of past hurts? Because you lived with someone who did that? Out of defiance, wanting to be different? Just because thats the way you have always done things?

Ask God to show you how you are thinking the wrong way and to help you, as we go through this chapter, to change the things He would like to change.