Today Daily Devotional

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
— Romans 12:2

Notice the big contrast in this text. We can follow the “pattern”— or the behaviors, standards, and customs—of the world. Or we can follow the will of God. And the way to do that is to be transformed by the renewing of our mind in Christ so that we can see how to live by God’s will.Our world is influenced by evil powers, led by the devil, the prince of darkness. The patterns, behaviors, standards, and customs of this world promote selfishness, boasting, abuse of power, and disdain for others. We see it every day in the media. And it can be difficult to resist, especially when it seems normal.God wants to rescue us from destructive thoughts and patterns. Each person—empowered by the Holy Spirit—needs to seek God to be transformed.“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” writes the apostle Paul. This is a good shorthand description of the Christian’s lifelong calling. It describes how to become more like the Savior. We need to shed our old, evil thoughts and put on new, holy ones. We can leave behind the desires of the world and grasp the love of God. We can put away self-promoting customs and embrace the self-sacrificing love of Christ.We need to resist and reject the customs and patterns of the sinful world. Our minds need to discern what the true will of God is and to live by it.

Dear Lord, we need to be transformed. Renew our minds to be like the mind of Christ so that we may live by your will. Amen.

Every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
— Genesis 6:5

Wow! The people in those days must have been really, really bad. Look at all those totalizing terms: every, only, all the time. And all of this troubled God deeply.Some people, and even some societies, can go very bad. Notice where it starts—in the thoughts of their hearts. In the story that follows, God sends a flood to destroy everything corrupted by the evil and violence of that time.Today, if the Spirit of Christ is working in us, that should mean we are not at risk of being “only evil all the time,” right? Well, let’s not kid ourselves. We can still be quite bad if we regularly let the thoughts of our hearts yield to evil. Such thoughts will not remove us from the saving power of Christ, but they will allow the devil to use us for evil purposes. Evil thoughts will also set us apart from the will of God and from the good that he has in mind for us.So let’s watch the thoughts of our hearts. We need to monitor them. We need to recognize which thoughts are good and which ones are evil. We need to resist the evil ones.Jesus redeems us from the flood of judgment, but the struggle against evil will continue until he returns. In the Lord’s strength and by the power of his Spirit, we can turn from evil and seek to do what is good.

O God, thank you for redeeming us from absolute destruction. Please continue to help us by renewing our minds in Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
— Matthew 6:33

Did you play hide-and-seek as a child? I did, and I play it now with my grandchildren. (They are easy to find when they’re under a blanket on the couch.)In our text for today Jesus talks about seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness as our first priority, our main goal in life. And when we do that, all of the things we need will be taken care of. The point here is not to wish us good luck in finding something well hidden. Rather, Jesus urges us to pursue God’s will, placing his purposes first in our lives so that we may live as he calls us to.The good news is that God and his kingdom can be easily found. We can find God and his kingdom in the life of Christ and among believers who listen to God’s Word and strive to live by it. They aim to live righteously by acting justly and with mercy for all people, as Jesus did.Jesus’ teaching ministry can be summed up with these words: “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). God’s kingdom is found in Jesus, who said, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17), and taught that he is the only way to God and his kingdom (John 14:6).If we don’t have a specific destination, we will just wander. Christians know, as Jesus showed, that their ultimate destination is God and his kingdom. This is what we must aim for as we follow Jesus’ teachings by the power of his Spirit.

Dear God, may the aim of our thoughts and desires be toward you. May your Spirit help us to seek your kingdom first in all we think, say, and do. Amen.

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
— Mark 12:30

As Jesus answers a question about the greatest commandment, he quotes from Deuteronomy 6 in the Old Testament. He emphasizes that loving God involves our whole being—every part of us. In this way Jesus draws attention to the Hebrew teaching of the heart as the center of our being, the seat of our mind, our will, and our emotions. Our mind is a fundamental part of our whole being.Our mind is at the core of our self. Our everyday living flows from our thoughts and desires, and these are reflected in our words and deeds—all that we do and say. Most of our thoughts and desires go unnoticed by us and others, however. So if we want to obey the greatest commandment, we need to pay attention to our thoughts and desires. We need to pay attention to our mind.With our mind we can tell the difference between right and wrong. We can make plans and figure out how to reach our goals. Our mind reflects our character and disposition. No wonder Jesus reminds us how important it is to love God with all our mind.Yet I find that I rarely examine my mind to see if it is focused on loving God or on a swamp of ugly thoughts and desires. Is that true of you too?This month let’s focus on serving God with all our mind. Let’s consider how God can transform us to live as he calls us to live—like Jesus.

O God, help us to think about what we think about. May our thoughts and desires be worthy of the children you call us to be, in Christ. Amen.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. . . .
— 1 Peter 2:9

We are often our own worst critics. I find that many of my inner thoughts tend to be negative about myself. “Kent, what were you thinking?” “You keep doing that. . . .” “Now they are going to think you’re a jerk.” And so on.The truth is, we often have good reasons for chewing ourselves out. We mess up. Daily.That’s why we need to go to the Bible and remind ourselves what God thinks of us. This beautiful text in 1 Peter helps us see how blessed and loved we are. We are chosen by God to become part of his family. This means we are royalty. We are princesses and princes in the kingdom of God, the Lord of the cosmos. We are also a priesthood, meaning we are made holy, pure, and dedicated to the One who is totally holy and pure. And we are called to praise this amazing God who has called us “out of darkness and into his wonderful light.”Wow! We are not total screwups! No other creatures in the universe have more going for them than we do. Oh, sure, we don’t see the final product yet. But what Peter describes is the reality that God sees, and this is the reality we need to see.When you are tempted to be negative, try talking to yourself this way: “Yes, I messed up. But I am chosen by God to be part of his family—holy, royal, and called to serve the King of the cosmos faithfully.” This is how God sees you.

Lord, thank you for remaking us in your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for calling us to live in your glorious light. Help us to think of ourselves as you do. In Jesus, Amen.