In Your Right Mind

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

Romans 12:2-6a

God has a plan and a purpose for your life (Ephesians 2:10). He created you and outfitted you with life experiences and spiritual gifts specifically for this purpose. You have a part to play, a role to fill in the great unfolding drama of God's plan for His church. But how do you know what part is yours? How do you know what God's will for your life is? It can seem very difficult to know. But as always, God's Word is here to help.

To know God's will for your life you must first be in your right mind. The Scriptures tell us that Satan is the "Father of Lies" (John 8:44) and that he gleefully blinds the minds of all unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). As a Christian, you must think differently than those who are under this delusion. You are called to have a transformed and renewed mind, one that has been set free from deception by the truths of the gospel.

Once your mind has been transformed by the gospel, you must exercise discipline to "not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment." Oh, how many believers fail at this point! How much better our lives would be if we could only think of ourselves as we ought to instead of wasting time trying to convince ourselves and the world that we are something bigger or better than what we actually are. It is exhausting work to try to deny reality in this way. So, look at yourself honestly. What gifts has God given you? What makes you different from everyone else?

Once you see yourself as you really are, as God made you to be, then you can find how you fit into His plan for the church. It is exhausting work trying to become something you aren't. So, quit it! Instead, spend your time sharpening the gifts God has given you and looking for ways to serve His church through them. Then you can serve the church in your own unique way, as only you can do. Surely, this is God's will for your life.