Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. 

Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. 

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We become whatever we are committed to.

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 God’s part and your part. 

Christlikeness is the result of making Christlike choices and depending on his Spirit to help you fulfill those choices. 

Once you decide to get serious about becoming like Christ, you must begin to act in new ways. You will need to let go of some old routines, develop some new habits, and intentionally change the way you 

think. 

You can be certain that the Holy Spirit will help you with these changes. The Bible says, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” 3

 

God has given you a new life; now
you are responsible to develop it “with fear and
trembling.” That means to take your spiritual
growth seriously


Changing your autopilot. To change your life, you must change the way you think. 

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:23‬ ‭GNB‬‬

http://bible.us/296/pro.4.23.gnb

 

Imagine riding in a speedboat on a lake with an automatic pilot set to go east. If you decide to reverse and head west, you have two possible ways to change the boat’s direction. One way is to grab the steering wheel and physically force it to head in the opposite direction from where the autopilot is programmed to go. By sheer willpower you could overcome the autopilot, but you would feel constant resistance. Your arms would eventually tire of the stress, you’d let go of the steering wheel, and the boat would instantly head back east, the way it was internally programmed. 

This is what happens when you try to change your life with willpower: You say, “I’ll force myself to eat less . . . exercise more
. . . quit being disorganized and late.” Yes, willpower can produce short-term change, but it creates constant internal stress because you haven’t dealt with the root cause.

 

 The change doesn’t feel natural, so eventually you give up, go off your diet, and quit exercising. You quickly revert to your old patterns. 

 

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” 5 Your first step in spiritual growth is to start changing the way you think. Change always starts first in your mind. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act. 

 

“Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God — what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭GNB‬‬

http://bible.us/296/rom.12.2.gnb

 

There are two parts to doing this. The first half of this mental shift is to stop thinking immature thoughts, which are self-centered and self-seeking. The Bible says, “Stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be 

adults. 

 

 The Bible says that selfish thinking is the source of 

sinful behavior: 

“Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God's law, and in fact they cannot obey it. Those who obey their human nature cannot please God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:5-8‬ ‭GNB‬‬

http://bible.us/296/rom.8.5-8.gnb

 

The second half of thinking like Jesus is to start thinking maturely  which focuses on others, not yourself.

 

 

Paul concluded that thinking of others is the mark of maturity 

 

Today many assume that spiritual maturity is measured by the amount of biblical information and doctrine you
know.


life is far more than creeds and convictions; it includes conduct and character. 

 

Thinking of others is the heart of Christlikeness and the best evidence of spiritual growth. This kind of thinking is unnatural, counter-cultural, rare, and difficult.