Romans 12:1-8 (esp. 2)
Isaiah 55:6-11 (esp. 8-9)
Psalm 119:9-16

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” – Michaelangelo

Wanting to do some more writing, I began to look for a laptop. Pen and paper can’t compare to a word processor for speed and easy storage. My friend knew this, and he came up with a free used IBM his nephew hoped to discard. It seemed like an answer to a prayer.

Then I pushed the power button. The machine for which I paid nothing appeared worth the cost. It posed huge problems to utility, not even having Microsoft Word. The old files needed deleting, and the operating systems moved slowly. I had to download endless complex software to even begin simple writing.

Jesus said that believing is the "work of God." My friend thinks he means we are like computers. We need old files deleted, our operating systems reworked, and new software downloaded.

When we believe Jesus, it feels entirely out of the ordinary, completely beyond our comfort zone, and like a logical impasse. Look at the things Jesus promises. Read his teachings, and see if you believe him. The gospels brim with preposterous claims. And these don’t function with the way we think or the programs in our minds' hard drive.

Keep reading what he says. His Sermon on the Mount confounds our value and judgment systems. Blessed are the poor? Turn the other cheek? Looking at a woman lustfully equals adultery? Love my … enemies? Jesus’ words seem more like fantasy and idealism at best. Neither of these compute with our minds' operating systems of realism, cynicism and empiricism.

Following Jesus and believing him entails a complete rewrite of our mental, spiritual and emotional hard drives. Most of what lives within us conflicts with his words.
   
He keeps telling us, “You’ve heard it said, but I tell you …” as if to point out that my hard drive needs a clean sweep. His words need to take the place of our current operating system.

We need much work. Therefore, downloading his thinking proves terribly difficult. It requires daily efforts and deposits of time. Each choice we make needs to run through the new system. Believing that the effort is worth it, is the work he gives us. It means not only hearing the words, but doing them.

Which of your thoughts conflict with Jesus’?
What efforts are you making to line up your thinking with his?
What one teaching of Jesus bothers you the most? Why? What are you doing about it?