MAY 2

Romans 12:1-2
Memorise Romans 12:2
“be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

A reformed life is only possible if you are a born-again believer. We were all born with a natural, carnal mind. Once we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of our sins, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who grants us a renewed mind. This renewed mind is foundational to leading a reformed life. A reformed life is not merely turning over a new leaf. It is a complete transformation whereby a person becomes an entirely new creature in Christ.

This renewed mind must constantly be transformed. It is not a one-time event but a progressive change, whereby one is continually dying to sin and striving for more righteousness. This process is described as sanctification, where we start to think less and less like the world, and more and more like Christ. Whilst in the past we followed the ways and fashion of the world, now as a new creatures in Christ, these things no longer have any appeal to us. We will want to flee from the temptations of the world, and strive for more holiness and righteousness in our lives. Do you see this happening in your own life?

How is this transformation possible? It happens only when we read God’s Word more and yield to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. With a renewed mind, we will also have the desire to know what is the “good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. The natural mind is one that is entirely opposed to the will of God. But a renewed mind is obedient and submissive to God and His perfect desire for us. Thus we will want to know God better, and we will naturally have a desire to study His Word more. We will want to fulfil His will in our lives, and no longer seek just to fulfil our own sinful and selfish desires.

Dear teen, do you have a renewed mind? Have you begun to love the world less, and love God more? Are you being continually transformed to be more like Christ and less like the world? Do you have a desire to know God and His Word better, and to do His will? God’s Spirit, dwelling in you, will change your way of thinking, and in turn change your life as well! Will you yield to Him, and allow Him to renew your mind?

Thought: The believer belongs to heaven and to the age to come and no longer thinks like an unbeliever.
Prayer: Lord, grant me a daily renewal of my mind that my heart will constantly seek the things that are above, that are eternal.