Renewing Your Mind Daily - Your Nightly Prayer - May 24th

Rev. Kyle Norman

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Your Nightly Prayer

Renewing Your Mind Daily
Your Nightly Prayer
by Kyle Norman

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12:2

SOMETHING TO PONDER

For many years, I judged myself by others' rankings. I would assess the size of someone’s church, their status within the community, or the perceived effectiveness of ministry. Every social media post would be scrutinized. Were there more people in their pictures than in mine? Did they seem happier or more successful? My sense of worth was always seen in light of someone else, and because of this, I never felt like I was enough.

Eventually, recognizing the spiritual damage that such comparisons were causing me, I labored to change the flow of my thinking. For roughly two years, I meditated on two truths: Firstly, “I am not called to be anyone else, but who God asks me to be in this moment.” Secondly: “I am not called to be anywhere else, but where God asks me to be in this moment.” I said these two truths to myself every day. Over time, the constant retelling of these truths helped me feel more settled in my identity.

Faith grows when God reshapes how we think. Paul reminds us to step away from the patterns of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Rather than following the wishes and the whims of the world around us, with its ever-changing values, we labor to think God’s thoughts. The renewing of our minds means we bear the mind of Christ. This automatically changes how we respond to the people and events around us. It creates a new way of life. The world around us will tell us to compare ourselves to others, to keep up with the Joneses. The world tells us that we earn our place. But the mind of Christ tells us that we are loved as we are, that we are recipients of divine grace, and that there is nothing that we can do to make God love us less.

Living from this truth not only means we think about ourselves differently, but also that we respond to the world around us differently. We meet despair with hope, we address conflict with compassion, and we overcome transgression with radical forgiveness. After all, this is how Jesus has responded to us. When Jesus transforms our minds, our lives change because we naturally labor to live as Jesus lived. To be transformed is to be made into a deeper likeness of Jesus. To be transformed means that when people look at you, they see the love and the light of Jesus shining out from you. You are not called to be anyone other than who God has created you to be. You are not called to be anywhere else than where God has called you to be. May Jesus speak these truths into your heart, transform your mind, and thereby, renew your life.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Almighty God.
Open my ears to hear your word. May your voice come to me with strength and with love. May it quiet any discontent within me. May your words soothe all my troubles. As I enter my time of rest this night, may my soul rest in your promises.
Father God, I labor to know you in the depths of my being. I long for your word to transform me. May the truth of your word sink from my head into my heart and take root within. May your voice be for me a constant guide, may it inform how I think, and in doing so, transform how I live.
Lord, help me to live as you would live and respond as you would respond to the life before me. Give me knowledge and wisdom about how I might shine forth your light and your love. I pray that you transform my life into a testimony to your presence.
I pray all of this in the name of Jesus, my Lord and my God.
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

Paul begins by saying we must step away from the patterns of this world. What worldly pattern are you tempted to be conformed to?
The word for “transformed” is also the word describing Jesus’ “transfiguration.” How do you let the light of Jesus’ glory shine through you?
What is one practical thing you can do to allow your thinking to be formed by Jesus?

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Linus Nylund

The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada. He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others. He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca. He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.

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