God Cogs - More CHANGE than even Obama offers

After yesterday’s post, I received three emails asking me about this cooperation business and about how God works. SO – I have decided to start a new group of posts entitled, “God Cogs” that attempt to articulate this living by the Spirit that I talk about. They’ll pop up every once in a while.

I do find it interesting, though, that so many people see God’s ways as subjective, which offers us another piece of evidence to support the self-centeredness of humankind (as if we needed any more).

Our prayers are a good indication of how we view God and not just how often we pray, but when and how. I think there are many people who view prayer as a speech, or a bailing bucket (you know – what you grab when the ship is sinking) or a quick way to get a shot of good karma. Then there are the prayers that include, “Thy will be done” but go on to tell God what His will actually is.

OK – so our first God cog is to realize that God can and will actually change our minds about things. When I say change, I mean it in the most exciting sense. Not only can God change our ideas about Him and the world and ourselves, but He can actually CHANGE our minds – to the point where our thought PROCESSES are different. In other words, life needn’t be just a continual battle, fighting against my inclination to be self-centered and conflicted, but I can actually have a different mind - the mind of Christ – and God does all the work.

The Bible, in a book called Romans, says it like this: "Do not conform any longer 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."

How do we begin to cooperate with God's work - this transforming? What is our part?

Let’s just start today with opening our mind up to POSSIBILITIES. I think we have become a little jaded in our culture. We sort of throw up our hands and feel helpless when we look at the world or look at ourselves. But that’s why Jesus kept talking about a kingdom. You know those movies that have some sort of knight love story going on? There is always a castle and a kingdom that surrounds it, and each kingdom has a community and a way of life. So it is with God’s kingdom. There is a realm where peace, genuine mutual love and joy exists. And I dare to believe that when Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He was blatantly telling us that the kingdom is possible here and now.

God can and wants to change my mind. I want my mind changed, too. So, in cooperation, I will open my mind to kingdom possibilities and I will dare to consider that God has the ability and power to change possibilities into realities. God will build faith, I just give Him a permit to do it in me.

Maybe today’s prayer can be different than the norm. How about, “Help me, God, to see things the way You do. Show me the possibilities. I am open to being changed. Amen.”