Be transformed by the renewing of our minds

https://odb.org/2025/07/16/habits-and-the-holy-spirit

Romans 12:1–3 (NIV): 12 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. 2 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. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Romans 12:1 is preceded by verses and verses of what Christ has done for us. God’s grace and mercy towards us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, because of such grace and mercy, we ought to, in appreciation of God’s love and mercy, present our bodies as a living sacrifice. Meaning to say, our lives are a sacrifice towards God in terms of our persona, our character, and who we are as human beings. How do we relate to God and the people around us? Do we come out as someone kind, humble, easygoing, forgiving, accommodating, and generous? Or are we egoistic, mean, difficult, vengeful, and selfish?

Paul suggests that to be a living sacrifice, we ought to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are not to conform or follow the pattern of this world, which basically exalts the self against the needs of the body. Thus, we ought to be selfless and put others first and let the Lord bless and reward us instead in His own timing and will. For example, practising delayed gratification instead of instant gratification is one way to be transformed. This is because the quest for instant gratification will tend to cause us to compromise our faith and principles in life.

If we are transformed and do not conform to the pattern of this world, we will then be able to test and approve, as in experience, God’s will for our lives. We will then see that His will is good, pleasing, and perfect! In the process, we will willingly discard our own will in favour of God’s. We will find that instead of restricting and restraining us, He blossoms us into such a beautiful butterfly that brings good cheer and joy to those around us while glorifying the name of God! We will gladly exchange the richness and fame we were previously chasing for a life lived in the house of the LORD as surely goodness and mercy shall follow us for the rest of our days! See Psalm 23:6. We will indeed experience a glimpse of heaven here on earth as we allow the supernatural power and goodness of God to penetrate into our natural lives.

All these earthly spiritual rewards and experiences start when we decide to transform to become a living sacrifice by renewing our minds so that we do not conform to the pattern of this world! We refuse to bow down to the Baals and Asherahs of this modern times, but instead only worship the one and only true living God, Yahweh of the ancient Israelites and our heavenly Father and that our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen