Moments with God, Vol. 41
Downright Cranky!
I have just come out of a very busy season in my life. I always have that long to-do list at home, but several events at church kept me busier than usual. In the midst of all that, I also brought a big project to completion. All cause for celebration, right? I stepped into Thanksgiving weekend knowing I had some time to slow down, rest, and enjoy time with my family. And I did, without a doubt. I was able to eat good food, play games, watch movies, and sleep a little😊 My heart was filled with thankfulness to the Lord for the blessings in my life, and I truly enjoyed the season filled with gratitude to the great God I have the privilege to serve.
Monday is my day off and the day I try to take some time for myself. While I enjoyed breakfast with a special friend, I also really wanted to take a walk. In wisdom though, I knew I needed to tackle a few tasks on that to-do list. The problem was I really didn’t want to do anything. I had stepped out of a season of many demands on my time, and now I wanted no demands. Have you ever felt that way? Well, wanting to have the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, I tackled a few jobs, but I could tell crabbiness was settling in. By the end of the day, I was downright cranky, and I knew I needed a change in my mind and heart. I also knew I could not transform it. Renewing of my mind and heart would take place as I spent time with the Lord. I started with a passage in Romans.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2
Romans is quickly becoming one of my favorite books of the Bible, and as I started focusing on the passage, it was not the familiarity of the first verse that caught me, but rather the word transform and what follows.
To transform is to make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of. Yes, Lord, I definitely needed that. The day had not gone the way I wanted it to, and I allowed sin to creep in as I selfishly pouted that my plans for the day were not fulfilled. As the Holy Spirit began His softening work in my heart, I continued to read. This is what caught me in Romans 12:2, not just for the day but for life in general.
In life, we have so many people, situations, dreams, and desires filtering through our minds and hearts. We allow those different things to influence our thoughts, reactions, and the path we follow. God knows how many things in this world can influence us and change us, taking our thoughts off of Him and His plan for us. We can so easily veer off and allow the ungodly influences of this world to direct our course and our will.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)
Our minds and hearts need to be set on Him and will be as we talk with Him and spend time in His Word. As our minds and hearts are changed through time with Him, our thoughts and desires become His thoughts and desires. We are more clearly able to see His will for our lives, not only in a day but in the general course of life. We will see it is good and perfect, which will then remove some of those cranky feelings of not having a day go just as we expected.
In his commentary on Romans, John MacArthur describes the results of a transformed mind.
“A transformed mind produces a transformed will, by which we become eager and able, with the Spirit’s help, to lay aside our own plans and to trustingly accept God’s, no matter what the cost. This continued yielding involves the strong desire to know God better and to comprehend and follow His purpose for our lives…The product of a transformed mind is a life that does the things God has declared to be righteous, fitting, and complete.”
God already knew how my day on Monday needed to go, even if my expectations were not met. What took place was exactly what God wanted to take place, and through my sinful behavior, I was reminded I had a choice to make. I could choose to take up needed tasks in a spirit of holiness or do what I did. Thankfully in His grace, I was led to the forgiveness brought by the cross. I was reminded as He changed my heart and mind that His will for me was what would bring about what was good and perfect for my day. And hopefully, the next time things do not go as planned, I will remember to seek a spirit of holiness as I fulfill God’s plan for me.
In His Love,
Susan