The Renewal List
Romans 12:2, 14-18 NKJ
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Paul is encouraging the believers at Rome to live congruent with their new life in Christ. He tells them to do something with their minds that he callsrenewal. This is an extremely important principle regarding our new life. The principle is that we must do something with our repeated thoughts to avoid being conformed to the age around us. This is the topic of books, but the basic principle is change the way we think if we are going to change the way we live. Inner thoughts shape our inner life, and the inner life determines who we become.
Connected with this directive to renew our minds is a list in verses nine through twenty-one. This list is an outstanding collection of behaviors that are to be part of our new way of living. We are directed to be transformed and then given a list of what a transformed life looks like. The list covers a lot of territory, but we'll isolate some of the behaviors in our verses for today.
As you read the Romans 12 list, one of the things that stands out is how we are to treat people, the good people in our life and the bad. Verse fourteen says we bless those who persecute us, and we do not curse them. Side note, when the Scriptures are speaking of cursing, we have to think beyond the four-letter variety we are so familiar with. Jesus cursed a fig tree by declaring it would never bear fruit again. In the same manner, we curse others by proclaiming negatives and doom over their life. This is definitely an area where mind renewal is necessary. Our flesh nature says you persecute me; you'll hear back from me, and it won't be pretty. But we are renewing our minds, so we respond with blessings.
Rejoice with those who rejoice. You wouldn't think mind renewal is necessary for that one, but it's easier to weep with someone going through a hard time. When someone has been blessed, we must cross over feelings of envy and rejoice with them.
Be of the same mind toward one another. This behavior involves not setting ourselves up over others. The early church was often filled with the poor and the slave class. Paul was writing to the church, telling them to treat people the same. Don't think you are amazing because you may have more than someone else. The age we live in wants to create a distinction between races, demographics, economic or educational status. Not so with believers. We treat everyone in the Body of Christ with respect.
Repay no one evil for evil. Provide good things in the sight of all men. This speaks to how we treat others and how we maintain a good reputation with all people. Payback and revenge are not supposed to be on our checklist. Again, we need mind renewal in order to make this happen. When someone has done us wrong, there is a strong sense of wanting to repay in greater measure. But this is not how we live as those who are connected with Jesus Christ, those who represent Him on the earth.
Verse eighteen is a verse I have gone to over the years as a guide. As much as it depends on me, I am to live peaceably with all men. Here is where wisdom is important. With some people, the only way to live peaceably with them is to not be around them. Some people are toxic or harmful. To keep the peace, I have kept my distance. Obviously, this does not pertain to everyone. If you believe you need to be isolated from the majority of people, you may need some additional mind renewal in terms of how to get along with fellow believers. We are not meant to live on an island.
This is a great list. If we become serious about living this way, we'll see God's involvement in all areas of our lives, particularly our relationship with others.
Prayer
Lord, help me to renew my mind and show me on this list where I need to focus most. All things are possible with You and with me because I believe.