Category: Devotional Thoughts

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer 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.

I preached tonight at Full Cup Cafe. It was their “pure worship” night, and I spoke to the students about a lifestyle of worship.

Part of what I talked about was the “transformed” life mentioned in Romans 12:2. The Greek word used is the same word from which we get the term “metamorphosis.” This term is used in biology to describe the life cycle of butterflies. Let’s think about it for a minute. What kind of change does God want to make in our lives?

Metamorphosis is a RADICAL CHANGE. Catepillars are not pretty creatures–they are fat worms. A butterfly, on the other hand, is the most beautiful insect in the world. This is a wonderful illustration of what God wants to do with our lives. He wants to take us and radically change us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Metamorphosis is an OBVIOUS CHANGE. If Jesus is really the Lord of our lives, it should be obvious. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15). People should see a difference in our lives if we are serious about God.

Metamorphosis is a PROCESS OF CHANGE. The process of transformation will last as long as we are alive. Paul said, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14). Each day God will bring us one step further in our spiritual lives–it is a lifelong journey!

God can change your life! Will you let Him?

Today I spoke to some STI Recto students about becoming people who have high ethical standards–people of integrity. Isn’t this a fine looking group of young people? I started by telling them a few benefits of a life of integrity:

It glorifies God
Making honest, ethical decisions will glorify God–this is something that God can take pleasure in. The purpose of our lives should be to live for God. It is impossible to do this without being a person of character integrity.

It gives you a clear conscience
We have to live with the decisions we make. If you are like me, it is hard to sleep knowing that you’ve done something wrong. If we have integrity we can live with a clear conscience. We also don’t have to worry about someone finding out who we really are, because we can be authentic people.

It gives you a good reputation
None of us would want the word “liar” or “cheater” written on our tombstone. We build our character and our reputation every day by our actions. We should strive to be someone that God, our family and our friends could be proud of.

It gives you good relationships with others
Relationships are built on trust. People will not trust you if they know your character is seriously flawed. To be trusted, you have to be trustworthy. To be trustworthy, you must be a person of integrity.