Day 6 ~ At what cost?

It's so easy to forget.

But so important to remember . . . Who saved me . . . and at what cost.

Jesus - the Word made flesh - left the heavens and became man.

He died a horrible death.

And He did it for me.

There is no such thing as cheap grace.

Remembering this today.

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Day 5 ~ What do I forget to remember?

From yesterday - Remembering . . . the first step to renewing.

I need to remember who I was.

And this was - and often still is - a tricky spot for me.

Because by human standards, I wasn't that bad.

I accepted Christ as my Savior at the age of four. What's the worst I had done? Refuse to share my crayons?

Other people have testimonies of amazing life transformation, overcoming addictions, turning from a life of crime or promiscuity.

My testimony is B-O-R-I-N-G.

• I got saved. 
• I never got in trouble.
• I love Jesus.
• The end.

I thank God for my Godly heritage. For parents who taught me, early and often, about the God of the Universe and His redemptive plan. I'm thankful that my spirit is not scarred by sins that - while eternally forgiven - have lasting consequences on earth.

But please note that earlier I said "by human standards." Because if I only think about how I measure up to those around me, I'll totally miss the point.

I am a sinner.

My list of offenses is long and it grieves the Holy heart of God. My transgressions, while not "flashy" are, in their own way, darker and more insidious than the ones that get shared and shouted about on testimony night at the camp meeting.

It's not often you hear someone share about how God has forgiven them for their pride. For their lust. For their greed. For their anger. For their self-sufficiency.

Some sins just aren't popular to talk about.

Because some sins are just way too popular.

How is it possible? How are some sins tolerated? Overlooked? Ignored? My guess is because we aren't allowing the Holy Spirit to renew our minds. We think we're okay and we don't need to change.

I heard this statement in a sermon recently and it has been branded on my soul.

Some of us are unable to appreciate God's grace because deep down . . . we think we deserve it. (Jason Malone, Southside Fellowship, 9/25/11)

Before you brush that off, dwell on it for a few minutes. Let it sink in. Because you know it's true.

Have you forgotten who you were?

Are you living your life under the notion that you deserve God's grace?

How would your life be different . . . if you remembered?

Father, help us remember who we were. Give us hearts that beat with the deep recognition of our hopelessness and helplessness and desperate need for your grace.

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Day 4 ~ Why is this so hard?

Thanks for stopping by today. If you've landed here for the first time, we are on Day 4 of a series I'm calling 31 Days of Renewing.

Yesterday, we talked about how we do not, in ourselves, have the power to renew our minds, but that change is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It sounds simple enough.

But we all know it isn't.

We know what we should do.

But we don't do it.

We're in good company. The Apostle Paul (the very same guy who has exhorted us to renew our minds) had the same problem. In Romans 7, he tells us that he doesn't understand his own actions - he doesn't do what he wants to do, and does the very things he hates (verse 17).

Why? Why is this so hard?

There are a lot of reasons. But here's one that I've found to be true in my own life.

Forgetfulness.

In her book, Grace for the Good Girl, Emily Freeman makes this statement.

Satan's biggest, most effective weapon against good girls may not be lust or slander or adultery or addiction. It is forgetfulness (p. 170).

What do I forget?

• I forget what I was.
• I forget Who saved me and at what price.
• I forget why I'm here.

But remembering is the first step to renewing.

What about you? What do you think is your biggest obstacle to a renewed mind? Tell us about it in the comments and come back tomorrow as we wade deeper into what renewing our minds looks like.

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Day 3 ~ How do we make the new stick?

Romans 12:2 ~ 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. (ESV)

Yesterday we talked about what renewing means.

And we asked this question - after you've been renewed, how do you make it stick?

The answer: You don't.

You don't do anything.

You don't have the power to renew your mind at all.

But if you've accepted the work of Christ on the cross, you do have the power inside you.

It's very interesting to me to note that this verse (Romans 12:2) was not written to unbelievers. An unbeliever doesn't have a chance. They haven't been made new in the first place. The Spirit has not come to dwell inside them, so the renewing of their mind is not an option.

But once we are have been made new in Christ, renewing our minds is the key to avoid being conformed to this world.

And this renewing will be an ongoing process.

If I live to be 112, I'll still need to take an active role in the renewing of my mind. I'll never finish the job. My renovations will only be complete when I leave this body behind and open my eyes to see His face.

This is hard for me, because I'm a task oriented kind of girl. I like to start - and finish - projects. That's what makes laundry such an ordeal for me. It is NEVER done.

Never.

Ever.

And neither is this. I can focus on renewing my mind for 31 days, but if I don't make it a priority - every day - for the rest of my life, the new won't stick.

I'll be just like those makeover participants we talked about yesterday. I'll be wandering around, remembering what it felt like to be all refreshed and reinvigorated and renewed. But I'll still be the same old me.

So why bother?

Because renewing our minds is possible.

We have the ultimate mind-makeover specialist at work in us. The Holy Spirit has the power and the desire to transform our thinking.

The key is to let Him do it. To get out of His way and allow Him to work.

And not to clutter up His work area with junk.

Uh-oh. Now I've messed around and gone to meddling. We'll talk about the junk later.

The Holy Spirit dwells within us. But He doesn't take control of our minds and force us to sing hymns all day. He doesn't turn us into scripture spouting robots. (In case you're worried - hymn singing, scripture spouting automatons isn't what He's after - hang in there with me).

He is God. And He has the power to do whatever He wants.

But He waits for us to turn Him loose.

To give Him the keys to the house. To sit down in His holy chair and allow Him to start snipping away all the things that drag us down, to shave off the beards of worry, deception and fear that we have allowed to grow for far too long.

When we relinquish control to Him, He colors our lives with His truth.

And when we repeat the process, day after day, the new starts to stick.

Tomorrow, we'll be talking about why this daily relinquishing of control is so stinking hard. Please join us!

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31 Days of Renewing: Day 2 ~ What Does Renewing Mean?

What does renewing mean anyway?

Well, the dictionary lists quite a few definitions including to make like new: restore freshness, vigor or perfection; to make new spiritually; to begin again.

Those definitions work for me. They go along with what I thought it means to be renewed.

But I decided to dig a little deeper.

(Look out - uncharted territory ahead - I had a Beth Moore moment!)

I pulled up the Greek word used for renew in Romans 12:2. (I used the Greek lexicon found here).

"a)nakaiðnwsiv" is transliterated to "Anakainosis" and the definition is as follows: a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better.

And when I read that definition, my mind took off. Because while renewal makes sense to me, I'm a sucker for a renovation.

I love makeover shows.

My favorite part is the big reveal when the transformation is complete. The experts have worked their magic and we watch with the happy homeowners, frumpy housewife or hairy biker as they wait with high hopes to see something new. And it's clear from their faces that they don't even recognize the house that now sits on the curb, or the face that is reflected back to them in the mirror.

There has been a complete change for the better.

A renewal.

But are you like me? Do you ever wonder what these people look like six months later? Is the housewife back in her sweats? Has the biker let his beard grow? Is the grass a foot high in the backyard of the new house?

Without experts on hand to help, were they able to stay "new and improved"?

My guess...probably not.

So what does it take to make the new stick?

That's what we'll be exploring tomorrow.

*****

If you've stumbled on us, we're in the middle of a series called 31 Days of Renewing. You can find links to older posts here.

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31 Days of Renewing: Day 1 ~ Why Renewing?

Romans 12:2 ~ 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. (ESV)

31 days of renewing . . . 31 posts on one subject?

AAAAGGGGHHHH!

OK.

I'm fine now.

So, seriously, why spend 31 days on renewing?

Short Answer: Because I have a mind that needs renewing.

Longer Answer: Because renewing my mind isn't just a good idea. It's a command. And one I have never taken seriously. But as I read and study, I've come face to face with a shocking reality.

My mind is messed up.

Go ahead. Laugh. Come on back when you're through.

I realize I set myself up for that one, but in this case I'm not talking about the fact that clutter annoys me, that I like to read magazines from front to back with no skipping around or that I could spend hours in Staples just looking at pens and notebooks.

I'm talking about things that matter.

My mind runs everything through a filter that is made up of my experiences, my beliefs and my emotions and what it spits out isn't always accurate. What I perceive is not always real. What I believe to be fact is not always true.

Over the next 31 days, I'm going to explore what it means to renew our minds. I hope to unearth some of the lies we believe and plant Truth in their place. I long to discover what renewing my mind looks like in real life. I expect that I'll find that I dwell more on earthly things than heavenly things, but I'm excited to search out what the Bible says about what we should set our minds on.

I'd love for you to join me as I take this journey.

Please know that this will be a process of discovery. I don't have 31 posts written in advance. The posts may seem random and disorganized, but I plan to write about what God is showing me.

I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride and I'd love to hear your thoughts about renewing your mind. Have you ever made a conscious effort to change your mindset? Tell us about it in the comments!

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31 Days of . . .

Last week, I posted a review of Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman. Emily blogs at Chatting at the Sky and she issued an invitation to join her in blogging for 31 days straight on the topic of our choice.


Last year, she blogged on 31 Days of Grace (how appropriate) and this year, she's taking October to share with us 31 Days to Change the World (she aims high)!


When I finished reading her post, I had a mental conversation that went something like this...

Crazy Me: Wow! That sounds like fun!
Responsible Me: Fun? Are you crazy? It sounds like a lot of work.

Crazy Me: But it would be a great way to flex my writing muscles.
Responsible Me: It would be a great way to lose my mind.

Crazy Me: I wonder what I could write about?
Responsible Me: Good question. I have a hard time blogging twice a week. No way I can pull off 31 days straight.

Crazy Me: I think I want to try it.
Responsible Me: No.

So, I tabled the discussion and went on about my day, trying to ignore the bickering. I decided to be quite spiritual and - novel idea - pray about it. Because Responsible Me is right - it's no small thing to commit to blogging for 31 days straight. And what would I blog about anyway?

Then I ran across a blog post from Seth Godin. Guess what he recommends? Blogging every day.

Then I started getting ideas. Turns out I have quite a few topics to choose from.

Then I heard a powerful sermon, ran across a spot-on blog, read a phrase that resonated - and to my surprise - I had a topic.

Crazy Me did a happy dance as Responsible Me started to have a change of heart.

Responsible Me: I'd have to plan it out. Write a few days in advance in case of emergency.
Crazy Me: ((giggles with glee))

Resonsible Me: Maybe I could do it - for 31 days.
Crazy Me: Yes!

Responsible Me: This is crazy.
Crazy Me: I know!

Crazy Me is a bit full of herself this morning. Responsible Me has had concordances, Bibles, books, Greek dictionaries and two notebooks going all week. She's still not sure how this will go. But she's committed to seeing where God leads in the days ahead.

I'd love it if you would join me in October for 31 Days of Renewing.

Side Note: I always post my blogs on Facebook (Lynn Huggins Blackburn) and Twitter (@LynnHBlackburn), but if you want to be sure you receive a notice whenever there's a new post, it's easy to subscribe. If you check out the sidebar to the right, you'll find several options. You can follow by email (enter your email and you'll receive an email each time I update) or subscribe through an RSS feed.

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