“The renewing of your minds”
Daily Scripture
Romans 12:1-5
1 So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly service. 2 Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature.
3 Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you: don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Instead, be reasonable since God has measured out a portion of faith to each one of you. 4 We have many parts in one body, but the parts don’t all have the same function. 5 In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Last weekend was Matthew’s Ministry weekend at Resurrection. Don’t miss today’s inspiring Insights blog by Shelly McVay, whose daughter Caroline is an active Matthew’s Ministry participant.
The apostle Paul told the Roman Christians their appropriate service to God was to offer themselves as a “living sacrifice.” They couldn’t do that by conforming to “this world.” “‘This world’ is literally ‘this age’ [in Galatians 1:4, Paul called it ‘the present evil age’]. The ‘renewing of your mind,’ then, includes thinking as citizens of the coming new world.” * This world’s “common sense” (then or now) didn’t always fit with God’s way of life. To live God’s way took God renewing their thinking—and ours too.
- In the ancient world, most people made sacrifices to some god. That usually meant killing an animal in the correct temple or shrine. If that were your background, how would you need to shift your thinking and actions to respond to Paul’s call to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice”? In what ways are you willing to put yourself, your life, “on the altar” to live each day offering yourself to God? What is one area of faith in which you wish for changed thinking or more understanding?
- Sooner or later, as we let God transform us, we become agents of transformation. In our homes, schools, neighborhoods or workplaces, we begin to see things that aren’t quite as God wants them. How can the “renewing” of your mind transform your vision? What steps, large or small, have you taken to transform attitudes or practices in your surroundings? Where might you have the chance now to transform things for the better?
Prayer
Dear God, I offer myself to you. That’s a little scary—I’m not always sure just where it might lead. But I’m learning to trust you, and so I commit myself to being a “living sacrifice” for you. Amen.
GPS Insights
Shelly McVay
Shelly McVay is a wife, mom, Mimi, retired Business Professor, ex-Hallmarker, College Consultant, avid reader and gardener, fanatic Chiefs fan, lover of food, dessert and exercise in pretty much equal measure, community volunteer, and follower of Jesus! The photo shows Bill, Caroline and Shelly McVay on a recent trip to Germany.
I heard something in a sermon years ago that stuck with me: “The tricky thing about living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar! Hence the continual need for the renewing of minds and transforming of attitudes.”
When Caroline was born with Down syndrome 29 years ago, Bill and I had no real comprehension about special needs other than what we’d seen growing up. To say we were unprepared would be an understatement, even though this was our third daughter. But we were blessed with a wonderful pediatrician who encouraged us with his wise words: “She’s a beautiful baby girl, who is more like your other daughters than she is different. What she needs most is exactly what your other daughters needed–love, safety, food, attention–the rest will take care of itself.”
And so, I began to change my mind about what this journey was going to be like. We set the same goals for Caroline as we did for our other daughters and helped our friends and neighbors expect big things of her too. Slowly they began to transform their way of thinking about people with Down syndrome and others within the Special Needs community.
When Caroline needed a different Sunday School and fellowship environment, we realized our previous church, while wonderful for our other daughters, couldn’t provide that. She was invited to a Matthew’s Ministry Family Night Out event and fell in love! And so, we transformed our thinking again and moved our family to a different church to better meet everyone’s needs. Caroline became extremely involved in Matthew’s Ministry including Sunflower Bakery, Family Night Out, Sunday School, Summer programs, and anything else that Resurrection offers! The skills she learned at the Sunflower Bakery helped her get her current jobs as a Cactus Grill seating hostess, a Price Chopper sacker, and as a Children’s Mercy patient transport volunteer, which in turn help to transform minds in the community about what people with special needs are capable of.
God has used Caroline to teach our family the intimate lesson that in His economy, EVERYONE has value, there are no mistakes, and that He created each of us EXACTLY the way He intended. We are many parts of one body. I am happy to be a living sacrifice that helps transform minds for that message of love.
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (p. 9892). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
