Eyes to SeeSample

Sometimes we overcomplicate the life of faith. Jesus, on the other hand, cut right through all the clutter and told us that two things really count: loving God and loving our neighbour. We as humans flourish when we respond to the love of God by centering our lives on God and extending love to those around us.

If you’ve ever had a guitar or piano, you know that it tends to get out of tune over time. You must adjust each string to the right pitch – an A needs to sound like an A! People, like instruments, require recalibration sometimes. Over time we make one small choice to live like the world, then another, then another, until we realize that our lives sound more like the world and less like the way Jesus designed us to be. We need God’s renewal.

In today’s Bible passage, Paul reminds us of what God’s renewal looks like: actively and intentionally resisting the patterns of the world and instead renewing our minds to engage in a new way of living. Here’s how one man paraphrased Romans 12:1-2 in modern-day language:

Just like an instrument requires someone with knowledge and skill to adjust the tuning correctly, we don’t have to figure out how to renew ourselves on our own. God invites us to turn to Him so he can change us from the inside out and show us His will for our lives. The choice to change means inviting God to make this change and submitting to it. Following Jesus means that we trade our vision for our lives for His vision; we ask to have eyes to see God’s way for our lives.

We are saturated with messages that the way to happiness is to gratify ourselves and store up treasures on earth. But if it’s true that we only flourish when we center our lives on God, will the path of the world ever truly bring happiness? The world’s mindset is one of scarcity, so therefore we accumulate all we can. But God’s story is one of abundance—so how, therefore, should we live?

As you reflect on this week, what do you think God might be whispering or shouting in your ear? Where have you stumbled and traded the world’s vision for God’s vision? Place your “sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life” in God’s hands. Ask God to renew your mind and transform you from the inside out. Once again, place your life and all you have into His hands.

Reflect and Respond

• Looking at your daily life, do you believe your life is centred on God?

Prayer

Thank You, Lord, that You can transform my mind. I admit that sometimes I slowly drift into becoming like this world. God, I give you myself, I give you my wealth, and I give you my heart. Please transform me to be like Jesus and show me what steps you want me to take. Amen.