“Don’t copy the the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what He wants you to do and you’ll know how good, pleasing and perfect His will really is.” Romans 12:2 NLT
One of the blessings of being a christian, walking with God, is the hope we have of not being stuck in an arena of dysfunction. I don’t need to continue life as a controlling person which pushes people away from me. I don’t need to harbor resentments that poison my mind and body, besides driving a wedge between another and me. I don’t need to be jealous of another’s success. Wallowing in self pity and languishing in an unhealthy self esteem need not have the effect of a permanent marker. God is in the transforming business. He does the perfecting as I do the connecting.
How are you doing connecting with God? The alarm system about which I have been speaking the last three posts is becoming an effective means of connection with God. First, it revealed to me a blockage in my connectivity with Him. “Don’t bother me, I’m busy,” was my initial reaction to the alarm going off every two hours. It was revealed that an obsession with finishing a project was hindering my fellowship, my sensitivity to listen to my Creator. Second, the alarm now triggers a joyous response of gratitude, followed by “is there anything you want me to hear from You now.”
It seems like discipline is my part in God’s transforming process. The discipline of responding to the alarm every two hours; of studying Scripture, of prayer, or Scriptural memorizing and meditation. The disciplines of worship, service to others, confession, fasting. These spiritual disciplines place us in a position to hear from God and respond to His message for us. We naturally take on the characteristics of the person we enjoy being with. This is our part in the transformation that is available to the follower of Christ.
The only concern about discipline in the christian’s life is legalism. Checking our activity off a “do list.” We don’t perform tasks to get God’s approval or to be a “better christian.” Our acts of discipline primarily place us in a position to receive God’s transforming power.
Listening, endeavoring to hear the quiet whisper of my Creator, is the discipline I’m focusing on now. At 69 years of age, I still need a significant amount of transformation. How about you? Have you tried the alarm system?
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