BE TRANSFORMED

² Do not conform 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. – Romans 12:2 (NIV)

When we think of transformation, we often think of some kind of immediate metamorphosis. Jesus transforms water into wine. God transformed Paul on the road to Damascus and within a matter of days he went from a persecutor of Christians to giving his life over to the Lord. It’s a remarkable story, but can also set us up for disappointment in our own spiritual lives.

Often, real spiritual transformation takes work. God chose to reveal himself to Paul in such a dramatic way that it had an immediate and dramatic impact on his life. God reveals himself to us all the time and works in our lives constantly, but often much less dramatically and visually than He does with Paul. His voice might not always be as clear as it was to Paul that day, but it’s there.

The work part is what is the biggest hurdle for a lot of people. Cultivating a relationship with God is no different than with a human being. If you spend time with someone, talking with them, being with them, and loving them, that relationship will grow. If you want to grow spiritually and deepen your relationship with God, He will help you, but you have to take that first step. The desire has to be there. I’ve been guilty myself of praying for God to light a fire in me, and just sitting back and waiting for it to happen, while not changing anything. Comparing spiritual health to physical health, one wouldn’t expect an improvement in physical health without putting in the work of diet and exercise, so why should any other type of health that we will be covering during TRANSFORMED, including spiritual, mental, or relational health, be any different?

As we work through TRANSFORMED and then launch our 90-day groups at the end, look at this for what it is: an opportunity to grow closer to God and to let His power transform an area of your life. Coming from a small church growing up, I feel blessed to now be part of a church that has the resources and the people to be able to do something like TRANSFORMED. I’m excited to watch how God works in the people of St. Paul’s over the next few months and pray that everyone who participates in this campaign can experience God on a new level and grow closer to Him.

In His Service,

Jarvis