Our Part, His Part

Our Part, His Part.  Romans 12.1-2

Hellooooo. 

Since beginning my series on healing from brokenness, choosing un-brokenness, trusting God, choosing wise thoughts, etc., I have been on a quest of sorts to do my part in walking out my daily life in joy and gratitude to God.  In the Phoenix airport, I even picked up The Happiness Project¹ and have found some thought-provoking notions that I am seeking to implement. 

In the last week, I’ve told you it is time to come on home to God, to the people of God, and to the places that challenge us to grow in an atmosphere of love. 

Fact is, we do not grow stronger in our Christian faith without action on our part, accompanied by huge action on God’s part! Our actions fall into the category of spiritual disciplines, which require just that—discipline-- if we wish to grow.

Paul got it:  “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  Romans 12.1-2, The Message

Paul talked about becoming holy.  Hmmm… holiness – how do you explain it?  I believe there is a supernatural thing that goes on . . . kinda’ like a joint venture between the Holy Spirit, Scripture and you.  A transaction if you will . . . a trifecta, where three elements come together at the same time, that allows us to become holy.  Remember--we are commanded to ‘Be holy, even as God is holy.’  Here’s what it looks like:

There is the start of our relationship of faith in Jesus Christ—and then:

->God’s Word, appropriated to our lives

->We are given the Holy Spirit, who lives within us and facilitates the process

->And then, birthed within us - sensing his presence in our lives, the greater our desire to please God!

But while living in the world, holiness is an uphill battle.  Christians must see things clearly, being aware that we are somewhat like aquarium fish, meant only for saltwater tanks, while currently swimming in a fresh water tank.  We are choked for oxygen, which only comes from the Creator; we are malnourished because we have a steady diet from our empty culture, rather than spiritual food.  On top of that, we live in a world that has become quite opposed to the ways of God, and we have been lulled to sleep, not even seeing how the world’s upside down priorities have shaped us. 

That is why Paul said, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world . . .”  I like how the Phillips Translations puts it,  “Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold . .  What does the world’s mold look like?  What does it do?  I think the mold of the world can make us: self-centered, self-focused, self-possessed, driven by wrong values, given to rationalization, given to comparison, setting us up to listen to wrong voices, and give heed to cultural mores rather than God’s rules, unaware of real truth, causing us to pander to the wrong people, pay homage to godless individuals and institutions, desire things we were not meant to have, envy or covet, feel like we need to be busy, because it makes us feel vital and look important.   I don’t want to be mold-y.

Our text says:  “Do not conform any longer 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 12.2  If we conform to the pattern of this world, we are letting the world shape us; but Paul tells us we have a choice—we can choose to be transformed.  The Greek word for “transformed” is ‘metamorphoo’—the same word used for metamorphosis. The word implies process.  The growth and maturation process of a butterfly includes egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to voila—butterfly!  I would rather be a butterfly than stuck in a chrysalis, and yet, how many of us are stuck in a chrysalis in our spiritual lives, when God has so much more for us?! 

The old has gone; a new life has begun!’² James taught us that we are saved by faith, BUT if our faith is real, it will produce growth—it will produce fruit or works!  Personally, I do not want to be someone destined to be a beautiful butterfly but stuck in the body of a caterpillar.  I want to stretch and grow and think and be challenged and fly!  I want to play a vital part of the Trifecta that will transform me into something holy and pleasing to God.  Amen.