Renew Your Mind

Paul was a man full of energy and purpose, a man on the move, and perhaps it is not surprising that he should use the idea of movement to express what life as a Christian was like. He describes it not just as a journey, but a race: "Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 He writes these words to the believers in Corinth, an important Greco-Roman town where athletes and gladiators were the celebrities of the day. They trained and competed for the temporary glory of winning- and Paul asks what we can learn from them? In what areas of my life is it a challenge for me to exercis...

Once Paul became a follower of Jesus, his energy and enthusiasm sent him travelling. "As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers." Acts 16:4,5 Paul didn't have any of our 21st century ways of sharing his message- he knew that he had to personally travel, speaking to people and sometimes living and working among them for months as he taught them about Jesus and how to live as Christians. How lucky we are today to be able to not only read the words of Paul in our own language, but without leaving our armchairs to be able to access the thoughts, sermons and lives of men and women from all over the world who can share with us what it means to follow Jesus. We can travel across continents and across time to be encouraged, challenged and inspired. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica: "...

Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus is maybe one of the most famous journeys of the Bible. He set out on his journey that day with a clear goal in mind, a clear direction to travel- but God interrupted his plans in a dramatic fashion. Paul changed completely, from persecuting the followers of Christ to becoming one of Jesus' most passionate and zealous ambassadors. Not many of us have a conversion story to tell that is quite as dramatic as Paul's. But I wonder how many of us are open to God interrupting our plans? If something happens to disrupt our schedule, do we see it as an irritation or an opportunity? Maybe the journey God has ahead of us looks quite different from the one we imagine for ourselves.....