Fruitful Living
Living the transformed life (Part 2)
High angle shot of an unrecognizable man reading his bible while sitting outside
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. – Titus 2:11-14.
INTRODUCTION
The transformed life is a life that has been renewed to serve and fulfill God’s purpose for mankind. Living the transformed life is a process, a journey that we each embark on when we personally accept and invite Jesus Christ to become Saviour and Lord of our lives. What better way can we do this than by conducting ourselves as best as we can in the manner that Jesus Christ did while here on earth.
Let’s recap some principles we can practiSe to live a transformed life.
1. Live an exemplary life no matter where we are. (Philippians 2:15)
2. Eschew self-centredness by looking out for the interests for each other. (Philippians 2:4)
3. Don’t wait for the government to do everything. (James 2:14-16)
4. Stewardship requires faithfulness. (1 Corinthians 4:2)
5. Respect authority and national laws. (1 Peter 2:13-18)
6. Be content. (Hebrews 13:5)
7. Eschew idleness. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
8. Pursue justice and fairness in all your dealings. (Colossians 4:1)
Most of these principles are not easy to follow especially if we find ourselves in the company of friends and/or fellow believers who have no sense of patriotism or people who have lost faith in Ghana’s ability to stand tall again. Nevertheless, there is hope because God’s grace is always sufficient and because with Him all things are possible. God empowers all those who are willing to do the right thing.
To overcome these realities that discourage us from conducting ourselves responsibly and responsively as Christian citizens in this nation, we need to remember:
- God has given us His Holy Spirit: With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can pray for our leaders at the workplace, in Parliament, and at the Presidency, even if we don’t feel like it or even if we don’t want to. The Holy Spirit is able to turn any disappointment and bitterness in our hearts against them into intercessory tears and prayers that are precious in the sight of God, and which can avail much for the nation. With the Holy Spirit we can work with excellence.
- God is watching us: The Bible tells us that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch over good and evil. He sees and knows how you are wasting or productively using your employer’s paid time, resources, and opportunities you have been given. He sees and knows if and whether you sabotage your colleague, your supervisors and your employers. He sees and He knows if, how and when you deliberately underpay your workers, mistreat your workers, withhold their salaries unduly, etc. Maybe, from time to time we must play Bette Midler’s song ‘From A Distance’ to remind us about this.
- God has entrusted us with diverse gifts (Rom.12:6-8): Each of us carries a unique set of gifts, knowledge and experiences that no one else does. Some carry the grace to teach, others carry the grace to encourage/motivate others, while others are graced with the ability to lead, to give, and to show mercy (Rom.12:6-8). That is why we have been placed in different sectors of the economy and country to contribute in ways that no one else can. The Waakye Vendor can prepare delicious waakye that you can never successfully emulate no matter how beautiful or well-fitted your kitchen is. The Farmer has physical stamina and endurance that most people in the corporate sector can only wish for. The Engineer can build things that will make even the most respected medical doctor envious. The housewife can nurture and nourish her family in ways that the Corporate Woman may not have the opportunity to do. The Clergy can provoke the conscience and the gifting within their church members to spur them on to walk in entrepreneurship, accountability, integrity, and responsibility no matter what their professions or vocation may be. In short, we are different but let’s respect our differences, and use those differences to make a positive difference wherever we are. Indeed our differences should enrich us not destroy us.
- God determines the boundaries of where we live (Acts 17:26): There is a reason God allowed us to be born in Ghana and live in Ghana. Although this reason may not be clear to us (in fact we may never discover it), yet God expects us to make the most of our situation no matter what Ghana’s current circumstances are. He tells us in His word that if we are willing and obedient we will eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). In other words, if we are willing and obedient to do what He tells us (that is, to pray for our leaders [1 Timothy 2:1-2], to seek the good of our leaders and our nation [Jeremiah 29:7]), He will surely cause us to enjoy the best that our nation can offer us. Proverbs 27:18 confirms this: ‘Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit;…’. This Scripture is simply telling us that we will partake of everything and anything we help to build. Therefore, if you and I contribute our quota to develop this nation, you can be sure that by God’s own divine mandate, we will prosper as this nation prospers.
Conclusion
As Christians, the power of God at work in us empowers us to live a transformed life can and will empower us to play our part in advancing the development of Ghana, our motherland.
We are therefore Society’s Asset. No wonder Proverbs 11:11 says that “Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.”
Every city has a mood, or perhaps an ethos, an attitude, or a culture. Whatever environment it has created for itself has enormous potential to shape the lives of its residents and form their perspectives. As much as we like to think we are independent individuals unaffected by the attitudes and decisions of the people around us, we are all part of a community. Our lives are interconnected.
That’s why Scripture tells us that upright citizens are good for a city and the negative talk can rip it apart. Our cities may not have the same dynamics as those in the ancient world when this proverb was written, but they are still built on relationships. A society filled with people who are invested, positive, constructive and dedicated to God’s ways will prosper, even when its citizens don’t understand why. A society filled with apathetic, negative, destructive, and amoral people will never have a short of problems. The differences between the two may not be readily apparent on the surface – prosperity takes different forms – but the long-term health of a culture stands or falls not on its majorities but on the level of involvement of its godly remnants. A little salt and light can have a huge effect on its surroundings.
As conventional as it sounds, God has called His people to be upright citizens. Society needs us to contribute our ethics and gifts to its well-being. Doing so puts us in a position of service and influence and seasons the whole culture. It’s one of the ways God extends His grace to this world and creates avenues for reaching others hearts and lives.
Let us never underestimate our significance as godly members of the society. We may think our contributions are unnoticeable, and we may never see tangible effects of our influence. But we are part of God’s Kingdom on earth that is never unimportant. Our city – or town or region – has its own atmosphere, and we have a hand in shaping it.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make it great and strong because we God’s children, Living The Transformed Life, are right here in this country.
Hymn: A Charge to Keep I Have – MHB 578
1 A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.
2 To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master’s will!
3 Arm me with jealous care
As in Thy sight to live,
And O Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give!
4 Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely,
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall for ever die.
Charles Wesley (1707-1778)
Stay blessed!
By Dr Joyce Aryee, the author
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4. Correct the falsehood
If someone misrepresents Muhammad (pbuh), teach people who Muhammad (pbuh) really was.
Tell them about his mercy.
Tell them about his justice.
Tell them about his patience.
Tell them about his forgiveness.
5. Report genuine offences
Use lawful channels.
The Muslim does not become the police, prosecutor, judge and executioner.
6. Protect the innocent
If one Christian insults Islam, do not attack another Christian who knows nothing about it.
If one Muslim makes an offensive statement, do not blame all Muslims.
7. Restore peace
After the controversy, bring responsible Muslim and Christian leaders together.
Talk.
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Clarify.
Forgive where forgiveness is appropriate.
And rebuild trust.
Ghana must not become a battlefield of religious provocation
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
Let us look around Ghana.
Muslims and Christians have lived together for generations.
We have Muslim fathers with Christian in-laws.
Christian mothers with Muslim sons-in-law.
Muslim and Christian business partners.
Muslim and Christian neighbours.
Muslim and Christian classmates.
Muslims and Christians serving together in the military, police, public service, universities, hospitals, markets and businesses.
This is Ghana.
We must protect this peace.
Religious freedom is precious.
But religious freedom comes with religious responsibility.
A microphone is not a weapon.
A pulpit is not a battlefield.
A smartphone is not a licence to spread hatred.
A viral video is not a fatwa (religious decree).
And anger is not evidence.
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A word to Muslim scholars
To my fellow Imams and Islamic scholars:
Allah has placed a trust upon our shoulders. You are the best of generations selected for the guidance of mankind. Quran chapter 3:110.
When people are angry, we must calm them.
When people are confused, we must educate them.
When people want revenge, we must teach justice.
When people want violence, we must remind them of Allah.
Our microphone should extinguish fire—not pour petrol upon it.
The Prophet said:ِ
لَيْس َ الشَّدِيد ُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ، إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيد ُ الَّذِي يَمْلِك ُ نَفْسَه ُ عِنْد َ الْغَضَب
“The strong man is not the one who can overpower others; rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when angry.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6114; Sahih Muslim, 2609)
This is strength.
Self-control is strength.
Restraint is strength.
Wisdom is strength.
Justice is strength.
A word to Christian preachers
And to our Christian brothers and sisters, especially those who preach:
We Muslims deeply revere Jesus (peace be upon him)
He is not an ordinary man in Islam.
He is ʿĪsā ibn Maryam عليه السالم, a mighty Messenger of Allah.
The author is the Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governance Expert.
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When Paul tells us that our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” he had summarized in the previous two verses what such an attitude was: selflessness, humility, and service. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” – Philippians 2:3-4.
In other words, the attitude a Christian should reflect is one that focuses on the needs and interests of others. Without question, that does not come naturally to us. When Christ came into the world, He established a whole new attitude to relationships with others. One day when His disciples were arguing among themselves regarding who was to be greatest in His kingdom, Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Matthew 20:25-28. Jesus is teaching us that, when we become preoccupied with our own things, it can cause conflicts and other problems with people we know. Instead, God wants us to have an attitude of serious, caring involvement in the concerns of others.
Paul speaks more about this Christ-like attitude in his letter to the church in Ephesus: “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.– Ephesians 4:22-24. Many religions of today, including the New Age philosophies, promote the old lie that we are divine or that we can become gods. But the truth of the matter is that we will never become God, or even a god. Satan’s oldest lie was promising Adam and Eve that, if they followed his advice, “- and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5, NKJV.
Each time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and the people around us, we’re only demonstrating that we want to be a god. But we must understand that, as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want us to try to become gods. Instead, He wants us to become like Him, taking on His values, His attitudes, and His character. We are meant to “be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” – Ephesians 4:23-24.
Finally, we must always keep in mind that God’s ultimate goal for His children is not our comfort, but the transformation of our minds into the attitude of godliness. He wants us to grow spiritually, to become like Christ. This doesn’t mean losing our personalities or becoming mindless clones. Christlikeness is all about transforming our minds. Again, Paul tells us, “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” – Romans 12:2.
It is God’s will that we develop the kind of mindset described in the Beatitudes of Jesus – Matthew 5:1-12, that we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23, that we emulate the principles in Paul’s great chapter on love – 1 Corinthians 13, and that we strive to pattern our lives after Peter’s characteristics of an effective and productive life – 2 Peter 1:5-8.
Establishing our actions in righteousness
Every person is commanded to live up to divine standards.
a. In the words of Jesus
“ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as your Father, who is in heaven, is perfect” – Mt. 5:20, 48.
Every person in the world is required to live up to that standard. You say, “You’ve got to be kidding!” No, I’m not. You are obligated to live up to that standard with a pure inside as well as a right outside. But you say, “I can’t!” You are absolutely right. That’s why we are given the solution…
b. In the words of Paul
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;– Rom. 3:10, 21-22a.
Though you can’t obtain on your own the righteous standard Christ set, you can receive His righteousness if you are one of those who believe. Isn’t that great? God set the holy standard. And when you acknowledge that you can’t live up to it, He says, “My Son is not only the Lawgiver, but He is the Redeemer as well, who makes it possible for you to live on that level.” Beloved, it’s a fantastic thing! The standard is so high we can’t obtain it. But Christ met that standard and imputes to us His righteousness. Oh, what a blessed thing!
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