Rennovation

As I've been reading the book Renovation of the Heart, Willard defines spiritual transformation as

The process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it takes on the character of the inner being of Jesus himself. The result is that the outer life of the individual increasingly becomes a natural expression of the inner reality of Jesus and of his teachings. Doing what he said and did increasingly becomes a part of who we are.

In terms of the transformation of the mind, he talks a lot about "drawing scripture into our minds to make them a part of the permanent fixtures of our thought" (what you and I would call memorizing?). He says, "When you take these into your mind, your mind will become filled with the light of God himself. And the light shines into darkness and darkness loses."

I preface all this to say that at one level, I believed that. Memorizing bible verses is a good thing, right? Most Christians would agree with that at some level. I agreed, but hadn't done anything with it in a long time. I decided I would give it a try. I created this list of bible verses and chapters, stuck it in a zip lock bag and put it my shower to memorize while I'm showering. All good, right?

What I've noticed has been unbelievable. As I've been memorizing these, a few things have happened:

1. I start to really, really understand what the verse says. Things that seem obvious in them really click and unpack for me.
2. I want to go back and study the overall context of the verse or chapter I'm memorizing to further "get it".
3. Most importantly, This stuff is changing me and my mind in a way I don't understand. I know, I know - of course the bible changes you. "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb 4:12)" I've heard that enough, I've taught it to kids - I'm just being reminded of the truth of it in a very deep way. My thought life is changing, how I think about things is changing, my will, and my mind are being changed. There I things I used to want to do that I just don't desire any more, in a good way. I'm way more aware of things I wasn't sensitive to before. I'm not perfect, I'm not done, but I'm in awe of the journey and what this whole spiritual transformation is about.

It's sad to say, but every now and then I forget the amazing transforming and redemptive power of the Jesus. I take it for granted way to often, and I'm sure I will down the road as well. I love what's going on in my heart right now and how it's spreading to every aspect of my life. I'm by no means perfect - you'll probably still look at me and see me as a mess - but wow, what's going on in my heart is so great it fills me with this unbelievable joy.