“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”. Romans 12:2 (NLT)
There are a couple of key ideas in these verses they can be
summarized by the difference between conformed and transformed. We are not
to be conformed to the world but live as people who are transformed by our Lord
Jesus Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Think of some of the beliefs and priorities in the world
today that run counter to the Word of God,
· This Life is all there is. A large part of the
world doesn’t believe in an afterlife or the eternal. They certainly don’t
believe in any kind of judgment. They conclude any loving God would never judge
someone and consign them to Hell. They believe most people are “good.” As believers,
we renew our mind by living in light of eternity and the truth that Jesus rose
from the dead and will someday return and judge the earth. This leads us to
witness and work to live according to God’s eternal principles.
· Experience is the measure of Truth. You hear people
all the time say, “Well, it works for me!” Truth is whatever we want to be true. What
matters to the world is not whether or not something is true but whether or not
it fulfills my desires. There is a psychological truth called confirmation bias
which is when you only seek information that confirms what you want to be true.
We see this all the time in what we choose to watch, listen to, and believe. As
believers, we measure truth by the Word of God and seek to align our lives to
His Word. We must not be swept up by popular opinion
· Images are Valued more than Words. Social scientists say we are no longer linear
thinkers. In other words, our society
doesn’t wrestle with arguments and logic anymore. People get more of their beliefs from
television, movies, podcasts, and YouTube “influencers” than from books. We
believe what people say without evaluating what we are being told. The world around us is much more impacted by sound bites than
rational discussion. If you watch a political debate the goal is not to explain
your view of issues, it is to get your soundbite front and center! As believers
we are to be people who listen and think. We must be willing for our ideas to
be challenged and draw our values from the Word of God. We are to study to show
ourselves to be approved, and we check out what we are told is true.
· The goal is less effort for more reward. There has
been a lot said about an increase in people who want to be paid a great deal of
money to do less. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We should always try to
be more efficient in our work. However, this isn’t about efficiency…it is
laziness. And this attitude doesn’t work with our spiritual growth just like it
doesn’t work in many other things. The Lord wants ALL of us not just one
hour a week from us. We must resist this tendency.
· New is always seen as better than old. The world is
into novelty. New technology is often embraced without thinking. People get a new spouse
because it is more “exciting” than putting in the hard work to maintain your
current relationship. There is little thought today about where the new ways
are taking us. Just think about our devices. They have pulled us away from
personal contact. They have a benefit but also a danger.
We could say the same about worship. There are some extremes
when we think about worshipping the new. First, we can become people who
reject anything that is new. Someone has rightly said, the seven last words
of a church are “we never did it that way before.” The assumption is that
anything new is bad. But that isn’t true. As a church we have embraced
technology. We send out e-mails and use a screen to project lyrics. We use
computers instead of typewriters. As Pastors we use a Bible program that
enables us to research things faster and more thoroughly. Just because
something is new does not make it bad.
However, the other extreme is also true. We can become so
fascinated with anything new that we embrace it enthusiastically. We embrace
new theologies, new music, new styles of worship, new social morals and
beliefs, and new interpretations of familiar passages because these things are
new and popular, and we are arrogant enough to think people of the past were
not nearly as enlightened as we are. We must be discerning! Anything that moves us away from God
is bad no matter how shiny and new it is. As believers, we know our faith is
built on the historical truth of the Christian message.
The apostle Paul ends with, “Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
There is no question that seems to come up among Christians
more often than “how can I know God’s will for my
life?’ Anyone who wants to serve the Lord has likely asked that question
at one time or another. Paul says the best way to know God’s will is to do
these things: give your whole self to the Lord and take every thought captive
to the Word of God (meaning, trust the Bible as your authority rather than the
whims of men). As we begin to live God’s way, His way becomes even clearer.
As we surrender ourselves to the Lord, we become open to the
leading of the Lord through the Word, through others, and even at times through
our circumstances. The will of God is generally not the same as public opinion,
current fads, the interpretations of celebrity Pastors, or even our own
desires. Finding God’s will, comes when we learn to seek Him in all things. As
we become aware of what God’s heart desires for us, according to Scripture, we
will find it much easier to navigate the loads of choices in life. Not only that, as we do what God clearly
tells us to do, we will discover that God’s way is far superior to the ways of
the world around us.
· As you live out the Christian faith you will find people
interested in why you live such a “different” life and yet seem so happy and
content. You can gladly tell them.
· People who used to ridicule you (or may currently do so)
will turn to YOU in the time of crisis when they need something substantial in
their life (failed married, rebellious child, a devastating loss) because they
will know that the cliches of the world no longer have any value, they
need something deeper. They need hope. And they see that in you.
· Your children will be much more likely to embrace your
faith when they see that faith lived out in your daily living one decision at a
time.
· You will face the times of crisis much less afraid in life
because you will know for certain that your life is in His hands.
This doesn’t mean we will necessarily know which job to take
or what person we should marry or if we should invest in the stock market,
invest in a new business opportunity, or invest in a person who is in need. But
we will have principles that make it easier to know the mind of God. Sometimes
when we don’t know what we should do, the answer is really to do nothing and
wait on the Lord. He may be doing something that will make things much clearer.
This text, I hope, raises some questions we need to ask
ourselves,
1. Am I a Christian only in terms of my associations or
knowledge? Have I given my life to the Lord as a living sacrifice? Or am I just
lying to myself? Am I willing to follow Him with my whole being and not just my
checkbook or attendance? In other words, do I serve the Lord wherever I am and
in whatever I am doing.
2. Have you ever asked the question: Do I adequately
appreciate what God has done for me? Do I merely say that I appreciate what God
has done, or do I show my appreciation in the way I live my life, budget my
time, give of my resources, prioritize time, and defer to Him in the decisions
of my life?
3. Have I been discerning in what I listen to and believe?
Do I evaluate what I am hearing through the grid of the Word of God, or am I
merely absorbing whatever the world and its proponents tell me is true?
4. Are there areas of my life where I am being conformed to
the world rather than transforming it?
As you see, Paul does not ease into these applications of
the truth. He is direct and to the point. It is our job
to heed these words so Christ can be magnified in our lives.
May God bless you and keep you and may these words help you renew your faith.
Pastor Dimas
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