Transformation Goals for 2016

Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God– what is good and well-pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2)

As we reflect on the year 2015 and we look forward to 2016 we have to ask ourselves “What in the world do we have to change from?”

Change Needed Within Society as a Whole

   Our society has begun to see a steady rise in the “Affluenza” defense, which happens to those who grow up with a sense of entitlement. They eventually develop poor judgment after being coddled by their parents and being told that they should do what is “right” for them. This often leads to poor and selfish decision making and a resistance towards discipline rightly deserved.

As a result of this self-centered mentality, mankind is giving into its base nature and it’s causing anarchy. It suppresses wrong tendencies toward certain activities as a price for living in civil society. Now some are genetically predisposed to anger, stealing, etc. but these should not be used as an excuse for wrongdoing. Just because it’s innate doesn’t make it acceptable. These instinctive qualities should give us the knowledge to know how to fix it. Some of these qualities can become a burden to those who possess them yet some learn to suppress and overcome these qualities. Those who can’t suppress them have been separated from society by imprisonment while others are informally enforced by society by being ostracized.

Ethan Couch killed 4 people in a drunk driving crash. His lawyers were able to argue that he be given 10 years probation instead of serving a prison term because he didn’t understand the consequences of his actions due to his affluent upbringing. Then, while on probation, he skipped the country with his mother, thus avoiding the punishment he deserved.   But society is now beginning to decide that certain predispositions do not need suppression because they are instinctual and therefore don’t punish for anger, assault or theft, etc. This mentality will only continue to perpetuate egotism and the sins that result.

    We, as Christians, know that the Lord expects us to control any and all natural qualities that we each have, good and bad, and use them for His service. The question we then must ask ourselves is how do we learn to change?

Change Needed Within Ourselves Individually:

The Discipline of the Narrow Way

As Christians, we are striving to follow a higher cause. We, therefore, must proactively exercise the doctrine that we have learned from our studies of the Scriptures to develop our character and put the principles of Truth and Righteousness to work. A Christian writer once wrote, “The Lord wishes us to learn, not as children, certain fixed rules, but as philosophers the fixed principles which can be applied. All who have been begotten of the Holy Spirit of love will perceive that the principles governing the New Creation are of very wide application indeed.”

Let us now look at several worldly qualities that we, as fallen human beings, naturally may possess and examine how we can transform each of these qualities, based on Scriptural principles, into a new and better spiritual quality. The summary is outlined in the table below and each will be expanded on in the following corresponding sections.

             The Transformation Process

               Transformation of Self-Esteem to Resilience

“Although a righteous person may fall seven times, he gets up again, but the wicked will be brought down by calamity.” Proverbs 24:16

Self-esteem relates to the perception of self, while resiliency focuses self on reaching a goal. If we are willing to have that resiliency, we must never entertain hopeless feelings no matter what. The Lord gives us all we need, under and in every circumstance, to convert our calling into our election into His Heavenly kingdom.

Years ago, there was a farmer whose old donkey fell down into a well. The farmer invited all of his neighbors to come over and help him cover up the well as the donkey was old and not of much use anymore. They began to shovel dirt into the well. At first the donkey cried horribly, but then he quieted down. The farmer finally looked down the well. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey shook it off and took a step up onto the pile of dirt. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of     the well and trotted off!

    The lesson for us is when we encounter dirt, shake it off and take a step up! Every trial then becomes a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells not by ignoring our state of affairs, but by keeping our eyes on the prize! Be resilient, not ego-injured!

Transformation of Touchiness into Tenderheartedness

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Touchiness reacts to comments, while tenderheartedness perceives the feelings behind the comments, assuming that they are noble and pure. In Mark 12:34 Jesus was able to perceive the heart of a young man and encouraged him saying, “Thou are not far from the kingdom of God.”

In Matthew 18, Jesus gives us the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. The first servant owed his master 10,000 talents. He begged and pleaded with his master to forgive him his debts. The master was moved with compassion and forgave the man (verses 24-27). In the very next verse, the servant who had just been forgiven went and found another servant who owed him only 100 shillings and demanded that he repay his debt. This servant also begged and pleaded with the man, but he would not forgive this small debt, (immediately after he had been forgiven of his very large debt!) and had the servant thrown into prison (verses 28-30). This incident was reported back to the master who was furious. Because the servant had been so unmerciful right after he had been shown such great mercy, the master had the unmerciful servant thrown into prison.

“The rich fool was condemned not because he was not tough-minded, but rather because he was not tenderhearted. Life for him was a mirror in which he saw only himself, and not a window through which he saw other selves.” Martin Luther King Jr. (pictured on the right)

Tenderheartedness is reflected in the world. William Sloane Coffin, a chaplain at Yale University and strong anti-war advocate gave a blistering anti-military sermon with a Colonel in the audience. The Colonel approached Coffin after the sermon and said, “During the service, I wanted to march down the aisle and confront you!” “Why didn’t you?” Coffin responded. The Colonel tenderly stated, “Because, when my wife died, you stayed up all night with her, held her hand and prayed with her.” While the Colonel was initially offended at what Coffin had to say, he looked past those hurtful comments and embraced Coffin with love and compassion because of the kindness he had shown his wife in her time of need. This, too, is how we should treat others who may offend us.

Transformation of Hypersensitivity into Gentleness

“To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.” Titus 3:2

Hypersensitivity produces a damaging reaction, while gentleness can find learning opportunities. We are called to be gentle to all people, and unfortunately most of us often fail this test. However, if we truly love mankind, we should always want to express the gentle side of our nature. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7, the Apostle Paul tells us to be as gentle as a mother caring for her children.

There was a man who hopped into a taxi and took off for the airport when suddenly a car jumped out of a nearby parking space. The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the car by inches. The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling. The taxi driver simply smiled and waved at the guy. The man in the taxi asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!” The taxi driver responded, “Many people are like garbage trucks, they run around full of frustration, anger, disappointment, essentially it’s all garbage. Sometimes they dump garbage on us. Our response should be to smile, wish them well and move on. Don’t spread it to others.”

That’s what our attitude should be towards the garbage trucks we encounter in life. Don’t let any of them overrule our spiritual side. Be kind and pray for people who treat you badly or insult you.
Daily experience is 10% what we make it, and 90% how we take it.

Transformation of Gullible to Generous

“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”

2 Corinthians 9:10-11

Gullibility can make one easily persuaded or even exploited, while generosity adds discretion to proliferation of opportunities. There are many scams that happen today and we need to try and rise above them. One way is to avoid making decisions that require commitment on the spur of the moment and take time to evaluate if it’s really an opportunity. Another way is to develop a plan for giving, including giving of your time, your money and even of yourself. Without a plan in place, the world can use you and all of your assets up.

Scott Armstrong, associate professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, has demonstrated in a series of tests for both written and spoken communication that people are impressed by “experts” from within their own field, even when what is said is completely unintelligible. Don’t let someone’s credentials or title fool you; continue to evaluate every situation and fact presented to you no matter who is saying it.

Instead, we want to strive for the more noble quality of generosity. French writer Jean de La Bruyere (1645-1696) eloquently said, “generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.” Give your time, your money and yourself to people, ideas and projects that you believe in, but closely analyze what you are giving to and make sure that it is worth your efforts.

Transformation of Sullen to Serious

But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5

Sullenness is gloomy silence and reserve. Contrast this with seriousness, which creates a genuine and sincere atmosphere. We need to be balanced, thoughtful and possess a faith that is ready to act. We want to strive for high personal integrity in all commitments and efforts, no matter what it is.

The Bankers Magazine (no. 48) described the duties of a teller in a Canadian bank which captures this thought: “Laughing, joking or nonsensical conduct during business hours may give customers a bad impression, and apart from that, they should not be indulged in under any circumstances. The Teller should be earnest and serious (though by “serious” I do not mean sullen or disagreeable), for it is a well-known fact that a serious man is more trusted than one of a giddy temperament.”

We must respond to the present situation accordingly. A man by the name of Mehmet Murat ildan advised, “When the situation is serious, don’t be funny and when it’s funny, don’t be serious.”

Transformation of Self-Seeking to Energetic

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Colossians 3:23

Self–seeking is advancing one’s own desires and goals, while being energetic adds enthusiasm for progress of a whole work. The Good Samaritan was a person who did something good in private without demonstrating to the world his good deed. Contrasting this, the Pharisees in the New Testament wanted credit for everything they did and were self-seeking. We want to recognize the value of others who are sharing in our work and not boast about any good work or deed that we may be doing.

In his book Human Action, philosopher Ludwig Von Mises wrote “There are people whose only aim is to improve the condition of their own ego. There are people who desire nothing else than the satisfaction of their appetites for sexual intercourse, food, drinks, fine homes and other material things. There are other people with whom awareness of the troubles of their fellow men causes as much uneasiness as or even more uneasiness than their own wants. There are people for whom the ultimate goal of the earthly pilgrimage is the preparation for a life of bliss. But other men care more for the satisfactions commonly called ‘higher’ and ‘ideal.'”

As Christians, our goal is not to seek and honor ourselves; it is to seek the Lord, to honor His name and His plan for all mankind.

Transformation of Sectarian to Loyal

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10

Sectarians are unyielding to narrow viewpoints, while loyalists are devoted to a broad cause. We should have faith that is centered on the principles of truth of the Scriptures. We should be committed to the end result of God’s plan for all mankind. How else can we understand why God is taking so long to intervene in the world’s affairs?

The Philosophy of Loyalty written by Josiah Royce in 1908 reads, “Loyalty is the basic moral principle from which all other principles can be derived. Loyalty is the willing and practical and thorough devotion of a person to a cause. The cause has to be an objective one. It cannot be one’s personal self. It is something external that one looks outward to find. The devotion is active, a surrendering of one’s self-will to the cause. Loyalty to a cause unites the many fellow-servants of that cause, binding them together in their service. Loyalty is willing in that it is freely given, not coerced. It is chosen after personal consideration, not something that one is born into. Loyalty is actively engaged upon, not passively expressed merely as a strong feeling about something. Loyalty is not merely a causal interest but a wholehearted commitment to a cause.”

We must ask ourselves if what we profess is loyalty to the cause of Jehovah God and His Truth, or to someone, or something less than that, excluding others who profess that same cause.

Transformation of Critical to Discerning

But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained
to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:14

Critical people judge merits and faults, while those who are discerning add perceptive judgment. Discernment evaluates ideas and issues based on merit, it’s interceding without bias or blame.

One Christian writer by the name of Charles Russell wrote, “no matter how confident we are that we have the Truth, it would certainly be unwise for us to shut and lock the door of interrogation and contrary expressions as thoroughly to exclude all that might be considered error by the leader of the meeting or by the entire congregation. One limitation alone should prevail to a thorough exclusion. That the gathering of Christians are not for the consideration of secular subjects, worldly sciences and philosophies, but solely for the study of the divine revelation… and in the study of the divine revelation the congregation should first, last and always recognize the difference between the foundation principles of the doctrines of Christ (which no member may change or alter, nor consent to have questioned) and the discussion of advanced doctrines, which must be fully in accord with the foundation principles. The latter should at all times have full, free opportunities to be heard, and there should be meetings at which they can be heard…and if ruled out by the congregation as unscriptural then they should be refrained from.”

We should never disregard a legitimate presentation or idea as long as it’s consistent with the foundational principles of truth and righteousness taught in the Scriptures. We train our spiritual senses through study and application. As we become skillful with the Word of God we can sniff out error and detect the aroma of God. Jesus answered criticism by quoting scripture and so should we. Each study we have should sharpen our discernment by being able to recall and reason on God’s Word. Never react to an idea, reason on it!

The transformed life is a continuous process, and all of the power it entails comes from God.

We are a chunk of coal striving to be a diamond. We are here for a purpose, and that purpose is to be transformed into a diamond that can be used by God.