Constant and sure

The mental health experts say if you can solve one psychological problem completely—no matter what it is—you can easily resolve all other psychological problems, because they are all related to one another.

In my mind this is what Paul is talking about when he advises to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Specifically, he writes in Romans 12:2: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Jordan says, “That renewing of my mind—what am I doing? I’m doing the will of God. Reasonable service. Service to God is to be based on your reasoning upon the logical outcome of who God has made you in Christ. He made you a living sacrifice.

“The kids at camp have this t-shirt, “Wanted Dead and Alive.’ That’s what a living sacrifice is. It’s somebody who’s come to understand what Romans 6:6 says: ‘Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.’

“I’ve been given a new identity. The Cross cut me off from who I used to be in Adam and the resurrection life makes me a new creature in Jesus Christ. And that’s who I am now.

"I love Romans 6 where Paul says, ‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.’

“He didn’t say, ‘Make sure it doesn’t.’ He said, ‘Let!’ Allow who you are just to be who you are! Let it happen because God already made it so! Present yourself!

“We studied that in Ephesians 1. He sanctified us. He set us apart into Christ, acceptable to God; accepted in the Beloved. See all those wonderful things?

“When you realize who you are, is there anything any more logical or reasonable than just to say, ‘Here, Lord, here I am!’?Send me! Here I am, Lord! Just let who you’ve already made me in Christ do it!

“The first time I was in the Philippines I heard a song Filipinos sing. Very seldom do people sing a hymn that I haven’t heard the words. I never heard this one:  ‘The mercies of God, what a theme for my song. Oh I never could number them more. They’re more than the stars in the heavenly dome or the sand of the wave-beaten shore. For mercies so great what return can I make? For mercies so constant and sure, I’ll love Him, l’ll serve Him with all that I have as long as my life shall endure.’

“What other response could you have when you really see His love for you in Christ? We love Him because He first loved us. Not because He said, ‘If you don’t, I’ll damn you!’ We love Him because He made it possible for us to love Him by transforming us and making us His!”