Cultivate Your Identity in Christ

Photo courtesy of garryknight

It is probably the only article I have ever read where something healthy came out of an obsession with a video game character. Marcus Dickinson became so infatuated with the character he created that he made healthy lifestyle changes to imitate his character resulting in an incredible 45lb weight loss. It is as if he had a transformation of the mind that altered his sense of reality.  Losing weight became a life or death situation.

In the same process, we are called to cultivate an identity change through our life with Christ. Pounds of old baggage fall off in the difficult transition to a lifestyle that is focused on becoming more like Him. Paul put it this way:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. - Romans 12:2

It is not an easy process by any stretch of the term. As you read through Marcus' story, you realize that he went through intense changes from waking up at 5:30 AM every day to working out so hard it made him vomit. At one point, he rationalized that losing weight and being fit was a matter of life & death. Likewise, we can draw on that same principle to transform our identity in Christ. Following so hard after Him that we are compelled to change.

Source: CNN