THE POWER BEHIND THE "BE" ATTITUDES

By Gerald Cumby
According to Scripture, we are to "BE" a responsible servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do you know about the importance of the word "BE" in the Bible?

"BE" is like the word "ALL" in the Bible. Those little words have a significant impact on our journey with God and our attitude and walk with our Savior…Jesus, our Lord!

Someone has said, "If we want to be more like Jesus, then we need to be coming to Him for our spiritual nourishment."

What are some of the attitudes you think God wants us to seek and strive for our growth and spiritual maturity?

        For example: Be still and know that I am God! What does this "Be" attitude tell us?

The Bible contains many references and directives using the active word "Be."

For instance:

• "Be doers of the Word and not hearers only"
• "Be strong and courageous"
• "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind"
• "Be thankful"

And many more Scriptures tell us to have an attitude of gratitude, being positive, being an encourager, be a soul winner, etc.

Hebrews 12:28, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…"

2 Corinthians 13:11, "Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."

Ezekiel 37:27, "My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. I will make my home among them. I will be their God ..."

Luke 6:37, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. "Do not ...

1 Corinthians 14:20, "Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults."

1 John 3:2, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like ...

James 1:22, "Be doers of the word ... and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. ..."

Colossians 3:15, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

Ephesians 5:4, "Dirty stories, foul talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God's goodness, and be thankful." LB

1 Thessalonians 5:18, "No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, be immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

Haggai 2:4, "But now be strong, Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty."

Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."


In this devotion, we want to center in on the phrase "be transformed by the renewing of the mind," Romans 12:2.

• Chapter 12 marks the transition in that epistle from the apostle Paul's theological teaching to his practical teaching.
• Paul did not find and establish the church at Rome, but he had every intention of visiting that church on his way to Spain.
• Paul wrote this epistle as a way of introducing himself to the congregation in Rome and to give them an overview of the gospel and what it means in the lives of believers.

Romans chapters 1—11, Paul taught and preached the great doctrine regarding the gospel of God's righteousness that is ours through faith in Christ
In Chapter 12, Paul begins to exhort the Christian to godly living. His main teaching here was to enlighten the new convert as well as the experienced Christians in the area as to how-to live-in light of the saving power of the gospel. This was the thrust of his teaching from chapter 12 through 16.
BE RENEWED IN OUR MINDS IS THE FIRST OF PAUL'S GREAT EXHORTATIONS.

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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" (Romans 12:1–2).

The phrase "the mercies of God" refers to all of what has preceded in chapters 1—11.

• The exhortation that Paul presents is that since we have been the gracious recipients of God's great mercies, we are to be "living sacrifices" to God.
• How do we do this? We are living sacrifices to God by not conforming to this world, but by being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

This exhortation really serves as a summary statement of all that follows. A living sacrifice to God is one who does not conform, but is transformed.

• We are not to be conformed to this world.
• World refers to the spirit of the age.
• World refers to the popular worldview that rejects God and His revelation.
• As Unbelievers, people are naturally conformed to the world (Ephesians 2:1–3).
• As Believers, we are no longer conformed to this world because we no longer belong to the spirit of this age. We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).
• Therefore, rather than continuing to conform to this world, we are to be transformed by having our "minds renewed."

The mind is the key to the Christian life.

• The reason why non-Christians do not respond to Christian truth is that they cannot discern spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:14).
• The gospel is a call for the unbeliever to repent of his sin and embrace Christ by faith.
• The Greek word translated "repentance" carries the notion of a change of mind.
• Our thinking must be changed (transformed) from old, ungodly ways of thinking into a new and godly way of thinking.
• What we know in our minds to be true forms a conviction in our hearts of that truth, and that conviction in our hearts translates into action. Therefore, we must first renew our minds.

The only way to replace the error of the world's way of thinking is to replace it with God's truth, and the only infallible source of God's truth is His revealed Word, the Bible.

• Transformation through renewed minds comes as believers expose themselves to God's Word through the faithful exposition of it each week in church, personal Bible study, and group Bible study. We want to test ourselves as to whether our minds are renewed in the 3 ways mentioned above. We should resolve ourselves to be a blessing to others as we meet our daily responsibilities. To test yourself, ask yourself, "Am I growing in my walk with the Lord…listening, learning, and calling out for God's grace and mercy to be an extension from me to others."
• A solid church that believes in preaching the Word, reading the Word, and singing the Word is invaluable in helping us renew our minds.

There are no shortcuts. There is no magical formula for renewing our minds.
We must fill our minds with God's Word as He provides the means for us to be a blessing to ourselves and others.
Remember—Jesus prayed for us to the Father, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17).

BE A BLESSING—HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE IN YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD!