Formed correctly

“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. (Rom 12:2)

One of my first jobs was in a metal extrusion factory. I basically stood next to a large pot of molten aluminum, and scooped the hot liquid metal into the machine that forces the liquid metal into a die where it cooled quickly so that it formed to the shape inside the die. The machine then spit out so it could can go to the next step. To this day I don’t know what those parts were for or who they went to. All I know is I was paid to stand there for 8 hours and do that over and over, and when I was done someone else took my spot. The plant ran 24 hours a day. That factory basically took blocks of metal, melted them down and reshaped them into little parts. It reformed that metal into shapes they wanted it to be.

Paul writes here “Do not be conformed to this world…” meaning don’t let the world melt you down and reshape you into it’s image. The only reshaping that we should strive for is the renewing of our mind so that we become more like God – be shaped in the manner He wants us to be, not the shape the world wants to turn us into.

What does He use as His shaping tool and die? His Word and the Holy Spirit. How does he renew our mind? We have to be an active part of that process – read, study and meditate on His word, getting it into our minds. Look for thoughts in our minds that are of the world and need to be replaced and memorize scripture to fill in the gaps of thoughts and thought patterns that we intentionally remove.

Like any restoration process, it takes time and hard work. Make a point to spend even a few minutes in the morning to read scripture. Pick a verse to think on throughout the day and make it a point to work that verse into your day.

It’s a new year, the perfect time to re-NEW your mind.