Scripture: Romans 12:2 NASB “Feeling Vs. Thinking”
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
What is the most important verse in the Bible about living the Christian life? This may be it.
What is so important about it? It says that living the Christian life begins with your noggin’. It begins with what you think!
Many Christians center their Christian lives on their emotions. Everything is about what they feel. What they “sense” is the most important thing about living their Christian lives. May I say, with all reverence, that if God wanted us to center our lives on our emotions, He would have maybe sent us a song. But He gave us His Word. And that includes the life of His Son, the Word. Written down, we know that as the Bible. The Bible is a revelation meaning that God is communicating to us things that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to know. He “reveals” things to us in the Scripture. If God gave it to us, shouldn’t we take pains to learn it? Better yet, shouldn’t we apply it and work it out (cf. Phil. 2: 12) in our lives?
Feelings are also important in our Christian lives. Paul tells us to rejoice (cf. Phil. 4: 4; also see Neh. 8: 10). We need to learn discernment regarding our thoughts and feelings. Are they coming from God, from the world, or even from a spiritual source (see blogs Spiritual Sensitivity and Sensitivity To The Holy Spirit)?
The world floods into our lives like a tsunami. Paul tells us the antidote for that is to have our minds “renewed.” The best way to do that is to get your head into the Word.
The world or the Word? The choice is yours. Obviously, it’s best to choose the Word!
If you do, you will find that you are choosing life (Deut. 30:19)!
Fun Application:
It takes guts to choose the Word over the world. My mother used to quote an expression, “Everyone is out of step except my son, John.” She said John but I think she really meant Jerry. I don’t think it was meant necessarily as a compliment. But if you are going to really learn the Word and follow Christ, you will seem out of step to the world (cf. Mt. 16:26; also see Matt. 5:11-12).
On the other hand, it is the greatest adventure you could have in life . . . if you have the guts (see blog No One Gets ‘Hit’ These Days!).
Do you have the guts to have your mind renewed? If so, here are some things you can do.
1) Read through the Bible. Use good resources to help you understand some of the more difficult things you are reading. One of the main rules in understanding the Bible is “the main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things.” For everything else, you can use resources like J. Vernon McGee’s or Warren Wiersbe’s commentaries. You could also use (dare I say it?) this blog and its search engine.
2) Listen to good sermons. Good luck on that but J. Vernon McGee’s Sunday sermons are available in a podcast through iTunes.
3) Attend a good Bible-believing church. These are also disappearing.
Remember, when you stand before God for the judgment of Christians (cf. blog Bema Me Up, Scotty!), you can’t plead that your pastor told you something or that you couldn’t find a decent church. You will stand alone at that judgment. You don’t need to fear it since it is only for the bestowal of rewards but you don’t want to go away empty-handed either!
The purpose of the “Choose Life” is to pick a positive help out of the One Year Bible (OYB) reading plan for the day. There is always something positive in the Word of God to cheer us and give us strength. For more on today’s reading, check out my One Year Bible blog: Chest Here