Cartoonology Devotional 08-06-09

E. Larry Ross

August 6, 2009

 Romans 12:1-3 (NKJV)
¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
³ For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

This text fits the cartoon above perfectly.  First, we need to understand what ego is.  That, according to Freud, is a complex answer.  Read the following, which was taken from Wikipedia.

"The word ego is taken directly from Latin, and is translated as "I myself" to express emphasis. The Latin term ego is used in English to translate Freud's German term Das Ich, which literally means "the I".  In modern-day society, ego has many meanings. It could mean one's self-esteem; an inflated sense of self-worth; or in philosophical terms, one's self."

Agnes is the epitomy of an inflated sense of self-worth.  The scripture warns man, ". . . not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly. . ."    Let us admit it.  It is hard to kill one's own ego, but we are pretty good at killing someone else's. 

Paul is describing the possession of an over-inflated ego as being conformed to this world.  He insists the answer to that problem is to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. 

Vines defines conformed as, "to fashion or shape one thing like another, . . "   The word transformed is more interesting, coming from the Greek word metamorphoo, from which we get our English word metamorphosis.   Vines defines this as, "to change into another form".  The exact same word is used to describe the transfiguration of Jesus as witnessed by Peter, James and John. (Matthew 17:2)  How do we get metamorphoo?  It is a "renewing of the mind" and a process resulting from a close walk with Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  In practical terms this means to allow the Holy Spirit to control you, or as Ephesians 5:18 describes it, to be filled with Him.

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV)
²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.