When you open a box of crayons, what color do you grab for first? With a blank canvas, the possibilities are endless! Sometimes the color you grab first is based upon the needs of the picture, sometimes the color is based upon your personal preference and sometimes, it is determined by your mood.
To be honest, we aren't talking about crayon colors here, but the daily grind of our lives, right? When I wake up each day, I have an opportunity to devote my day to God. I have the ability to make choices and decisions that will shape the outcomes in my life. And sometimes, those decisions are shaped by personal preferences, sometimes they are shaped by my list of things to achieve that day, and sometimes, they are based upon my mood...I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed!
I look at a verse like Daniel has mentioned the last couple weeks in Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Don't paint the same picture everyday, don't be drawn into the same pattern as yesterday (that day you fell into a sinful trap); today could you renew your image of yourself! Could you paint a different picture and transform your outlook and in doing so, transform the outcomes of your life? The verse goes on to say..."Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will."
Today, as I give my life to Christ, as I devote myself to becoming a better follower than I was yesterday, I need to transform my life to be more like His! What pictures did Christ paint? What colors did He use? Today, does your attitude match that of Christ Jesus? If not, transform and renew your thoughts, motives and actions! Today, does my life look a little more like Christ's? Don't conform any longer to the same patterns and routines...to be more like Christ you have to follow with purpose!
Reggie Alderman
