Living Out a Transformed Life

by Timothy Howe

Yesterday, I discussed the call for Christians to live differently in this world, what I call Living Transformed. You will recall how Romans 12:1-2 teaches how to pursue a transformation that comes from God.


Devote Yourself to God.
Be Conformed to God and Nothing Else.
Let God Transform Your Mind to be Like His.


Today I want focus on how to live out a transformed life. 


Living out a transformed life boils down to two key skills - the ability to... 

1. Discern God's Will.

This devotion-conforming-transformation process creates a spiral of hope. The more you devote yourself to God, the easier it is to conform to Him and the more He is able to transform you. Romans 12:2 tells us that this process leads to the ability to discern His will. Discerning God's will is not the same as understanding His will for our lives. Conforming to God takes the focus off self and places it on God. The discernment is less about our lives and it is more about what God is doing in the world. We will be able to discern God's will in the world and then subject our actions to accomplishing His will. As you begin to discern His will, the next logical step is to...

2. Do God's Will.

It is not enough to know what God is doing. We must join Him. This may not be explicit in Romans 12:1-2, but implicitly discernment leads to doing. Paul expounds on how we do God's will in Romans 12:9-21. The passage portrays a challenging list of expectations for us that is often referred to as the True Marks of Being a Christian. It would be impossible to live out the expectation found here without God. But the same process that leads us to discerning God's will lead us to doing God's will. Obedience to the Father comes about through your relationship with Him. 

Spend your efforts devoting yourself to God, being conformed to God, being transformed by God and you will be able to discern and do God's will.