Day 12 – Fit For Life Challenge

It’s Day 12! It’s flying by! Let’s start with this verse, Romans 12:2, “..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.”
I was thinking about this verse yesterday when I was working in my vegetable garden. God speaks to me in object lessons a lot. I learn best that way. I was checking on my baby vegetable plants, looking anxiously for blossoms or baby veggies on the vines. I had watered them earlier and was caring for each plant thinking how soon I’ll be enjoying the fruits of my labor! All the while as I walked down each row I was pulling up weeds and grass. This is a never-ending job, trying to keep the grass and weeds from taking over. Then that’s when God began to teach me the object lesson. I had just been thinking about this verse and how we are supposed to be different from the world.. how we, as Christians, are to act and react differently. If you’ve watched the news at all lately, you know it can be troubling, what all is going on in the world. The more I see everything that is happening, the more I know I need to keep my focus on Jesus! I need to fill my mind with His word and meditate on it. I literally need to fix my eyes on Him. I need to be like Him. Then God tied it all together … my plants, the weeds, and the fruit (veggies). This verse says we aren’t supposed to be like this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I looked at my plants and then at all the grass and weeds that are trying to grow too. All of these are like the thoughts and thought patterns in my mind. Just as I transform the garden into rows of healthy plants that will bear delicious vegetables, I have to let God’s word and His spirit do that to my mind. Selfish, negative, angry, or impure thoughts will spring up like weeds. Whichever plants, either the desirable or the undesirable, that I water and care for are the ones that will prevail and flourish!
My mind has to be renewed by allowing God to transform me by changing the way I think! For me, that’s a daily and sometimes hourly thing! 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to “ take captive every thought and make it obedient unto Christ”! Whatever I allow to grow and take root in my mind will bear fruit in my life.. good or bad. What we put in our minds and dwell on will come out in our words and actions. Just like pulling those weeds, or not allowing them to grow in the first place, we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We “water” the things pleasing to God that will bring about good fruit in our lives by meditating on them, focusing on them, and practicing them. What we focus on in our minds will be manifested in our lives. Period.
I’ll close on this note and this will also be our action step #12… Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things.” Look for ways to fill your mind with these things today! ❤️😊🙏🏻