II Timothy 1:7; Romans 12:1-2 - "Different"

I love waking up with a song in my heart. This morning it is "Different" that Micah Tyler sings.

I wanna be different
I wanna be changed
'Til all of me is gone
And all that remains
Is a fire so bright
The whole world can see
That there's something different
So come and be different
In me

As I live grounded in II Timothy 1:7, I am living a "Different" type of life. Standing on this verse allows me to be empowered to not fear things such as Doc's cancer; love with His love; and walk in obedience to His will. Fear is something the enemy will use against me when given a chance. He will put doubts into my mind when given an open door. That is why I must stay prayed up and in relationship with God. In the beginning of the song there is a line that goes, "I don't wanna hear anymore, teach me to listen..." That is key to being in relationship with God. We must go beyond just hearing and truly listen to Him. The only way that can be accomplished is to die to self and take on Christ. The thought of giving up control of our life is scary for some people. But when you think about it, we don't have control. Either Christ does or the enemy does. As we look through our checkbook and see where our money is spent we see either Christ centered things or things of the enemy. As we reflect over our calendar it is the same. Our time is either being invested as Christ desires or it is as the enemy desires. We cannot live our life in both directions. It needs to be one or the another, preferably for Christ. Paul tells us in the first two verses of Romans 12:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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 (NIV).

I love how it reads in The Message...

 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Woo hoo! I don't have to live as the world does but instead need to live as God desires of me. This does not mean I cannot live in the world. All believers need to be around people. If we surround ourselves with just other believers, we will not be able to accomplish what God has called us to be. We cannot share His love with those who need it if we are not around them. I love the last part in The Message where it says, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Woo hoo! In the NIV it is called his good, pleasing and perfect will. Yes! That is what I want for my life. I want to live in His will, doing as He so desires of me. I must be a living sacrifice. I must be holy and pleasing to God. Then I will be transformed by the renewing of my mind. As I live out Romans 12:1-2, I will be empowered to stand on II Timothy 1:7. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for this song and Scripture this morning! Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for my new friend I spent time with yesterday! Thank You for the beautiful sunset You blessed Doc and I with last night! Thank You for the life You have given me to be a living sacrifice! Thank You for transforming me as you renew me! Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me! Thank You for loving us so greatly! Thank You for going before Doc today and empowering him against the effects of chemo! Father, strengthen our faith as we continue to trust in You! Thank You for being Our Transformer! Amen.