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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
In The Colson Way, a book I am reading for review, I find myself focusing on the statements: “The apostles of Jesus Christ were witnesses. This did not only mean they had physically seen Christ—as they had—but that they had been transformed by Christ through a personal encounter with him.” 1
Transformed Lives
In our 21Century world, do we see transformed lives or do we see people who think it is fashionable to go to church. If we see the latter types, we, as a church, will suffer whenever we present ourselves before Jesus Christ and he asks, “What did you do about me?”
When a life transforms, it changes. When a person asks Jesus into his or her heart, their lives change in ways that God directs. Some people become more responsible about their personal aspects. God might make a young woman’s heart tender to the plight of those who are poor and hungry. A young man may hear God’s call on his life and enter the ministry as a youth pastor.
In a sense, all those who believe in Jesus Christ become ministers. We have Sunday school teachers who take an active role in their calling. Those who work with music also spend much time as they prepare for each worship service.
Some of God’s servants exercise the spiritual gifts God has given them. Today’s church needs Christ’s followers to use those gifts to expand His kingdom.
Renew Our Minds
Paul tells the believers in Rome to “be transformed by the renewing of you minds.”
(Romans 12:2) How can we renew our minds?
When I misplace something, I clear my mind of any thoughts I have. I sit for a minute and then next thing I know, I remember where I had used that item. When we transform our minds for the LORD, we give it to Him and let Him remake our thought patterns into what He wants them to be.
Transformed into His Likeness
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
He is right in this thought. We will be altered from our BC (before Christ) days, into what God wants us to be.
How Can We Be Transformed
The question came to my mind was, “How can I be transformed (be changed)?
1.) I can be more open about praying. I can pray at the altar more than I have.
2) I can refrain from activities that don’t reflect God to others.
3.) I can refrain from saying things that others might construe as gossip.
4.) I can ask God to harness my emotions and thereby harness my words.
5.) I can search the scriptures for help when I feel I fall short of where I am supposed to be.
6.) I can verbally tell God I turn my day over to Him.
_________
- Owen Strachan. The Colson Way, Thomas Nelson, © 2015 p. 172
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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