Devotion for February 2
By Bryan Chapell

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 (Rom. 12:2).

Maybe you’re like me. I was raised in a Christian home, but in my teens, my parents’ marriage was in crisis, and I retreated to my room most nights to escape the tensions and stress.

So, when I went off to college, and even began ministry, I didn’t have good perspectives on marriage or relationships of any kind. I lived in a protective shell, cool and aloof. I limited any expression of love or emotion, protecting myself from pain, while actually wanting love and connection. 

When the Lord first brought, Kathy, my future wife, into my life, I was sure that I could help her grow in spiritual understanding. I now praise God, that he used her to teach me far more of his grace for battered souls like mine. 

Kathy loved me past my aloofness, forgave my pride, and allowed me to grow in tenderness. Had she not expressed grace better than I can explain it, I shudder to think of the father, pastor, or man that I would have become. 

God’s transformation occurs when our minds are renewed by understanding how good, pleasing, and perfect is his will. His Word reveals that will; our relationships also have the power to make it real. Teaching and showing grace to one another breaks the patterns of the world and renews hearts for Jesus. 

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, continue to transform my heart and mind by the Word and work of your Holy Spirit, so that I can know your good, pleasing, and perfect will.

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