Transormation

 Romans 12:2

[2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Father, empower me to discern how I have been confirmed to the ways of this world. 

I was born into a broken, sin drenched family, community and culture. 

Choosing to follow Christ and His ways has been a driving force in me, thanks to the pull and push by the Holy Spirit. 

I’ve been slow to recognize the impact of my imperfect background on my heart and mind. 

I used to think You, Fatger, were distant and waiting for me to make mistakes. 

I thought You were continually saying ‘you could do better if you tried harder!’

The shame and guilt I brought on to myself said that I could never measure up to Your expectations. 

I now recognize these thoughts only make me doubt You and Your live. 

Forgive me, Lord, for having the wrong view of who You are. You are not like the God I thought You were. 

I imagined that I could not meet the expectations of my parents nor my own ideals. 

I constantly compared myself to others instead of fixing my eyes on You. 

Thank You for continually reminding me of Your presence. 

You will never leave me or abandon me. Your love is everlasting, far beyond my imagination. 

Father, I used to think that I should be better, do better, by trying harder. 

“The Word of God also does something in our spiritual formation that even the most clever psychologist or spiritual guru cannot accomplish. God uses it to reveal secrets, things even secret to us about ourselves. It can reveal to us motivations, both selfish and spiritual. And as the following passage says, “Before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13, RSV).”

Excerpt From

The Kingdom Life

Dallas Willard

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-kingdom-life/id833813774

This material may be protected by copyright.

Brandon Robinson

You were fashioned for forward.

Your eyes face the front.

Vision was never meant for the past.

Your ears lean forward, tuned for the Word ahead, not the noise behind.

Your arms swing forward, built to reach, not retreat.

Your knees bend forward, made to walk into destiny, not back into bondage.

Everything in you was designed for tomorrow.

Stop staring at yesterday when God is calling you forward.

Graham Hill

Obedience to Christ makes empathy essential. The command to love God and neighbor demands that we enter the joys and sorrows of others just as Christ entered ours. To carry another’s pain is to walk the road Jesus walked, the road of the crucified and risen one who embraced all that is human with redeeming love.

Rooted in the gospel, empathy reveals the holiness of God. It embodies incarnate love where truth and mercy meet. It listens without surrendering discernment, and it acts with a courage that accepts cost. Such empathy, shaped by the cross, doesn’t leave us overwhelmed by tears; it immerses us in the living waters of Christ’s compassion, from which justice, healing, and hope rise.