Transforming Love

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. 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. Romans 12:1–2

At a recent evening service led by James Thornton, James brought us to the Confession by explaining that back in the days when Jesus was on this earth, everyone’s feet got dirty as they walked along the dusty roads. People were literally picking up the muck and dirt of the world. On entering a building, they would wash their feet, or have a servant do it for them. James was illustrating the fact that no matter how hard we try, the ways of the world attach themselves to us as we go about our lives and before we know it we can be envying a neighbour’s new car or judging someone, or joining in with gossip.

By telling us not to conform to the world, Paul is warning us not to be shaped by the world around us, but rather that we should seek to be shaped by Jesus so that we can be pleasing to God. But we are all weak humans so it’s not easy for us to resist the forces and temptations of the world in which we live.  We can only do this through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit who is working to change our hearts and minds from within to help us be more like Jesus.

Isn’t it amazing that through God’s mercy we can shake off the dust of this world and be transformed to become more like Jesus?

Let’s pray: Thank you that you care so much for us that you want to protect us from becoming like the world. Help us to transform to be pleasing to you. Amen