DO NOT CONFORM TO THE WORLD

PROCLAMATION

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform 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 12:1-2 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the believers in Rome.  Here Paul encourages the believers to live a different life than the people around them.  He wanted them to live in a manner that was pleasing to God.  He wanted them to refresh their mind with The Word of God.  He ended this chapter by telling them not to repay evil for evil. (Romans 12:17)  Vengeance belongs to The Lord God and He will repay those who have wronged them. (Romans 12:19)  They were to treat their enemies with kindness, and The Lord God would deal with them. (Romans 12:20)

 

APPLICATION

As believers we are to behave and conduct ourselves in a Christ-like manner.  Just as Christ was, we are in this world but not of it. (John 8:23)  We are to act differently from the unsaved people of the world.  We are not to act pious or put on a false perfect face.  We are to let the light of Christ which is within us shine so that the world can see The Christ in us. (Matthew 5:16)  We need to renew our mind daily with The Word of God.  Do not think that you know The Bible so well that you don’t have to reread it.  Humble yourself, (Romans 12:3) the more you read it, the more you will get out of it, especially if you pray first.

 

DO NOT CONFORM TO THE WORLD TRANSFORM BY RENEWING YOUR MIND

Proclamation:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform 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 12:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the believers in Rome.  Here Paul encourages the believers to live a different life than the people around them.  He wanted them to live in a manner that was pleasing to God.  He wanted them to refresh their mind with The Word of God.  He ended this chapter by telling them not to repay evil for evil. (Romans 12:17)  Vengeance belongs to The Lord God and He will repay those who have wronged them. (Romans 12:19)  They were to treat their enemies with kindness and He would deal with them. (Romans 12:20)

Application:

As believers we are to behave and conduct ourselves in a Christ-like manner.  Just as Christ was, we are in this world but not of it, (John 8:23) and we are to act differently from the unsaved people of the world.  We are not to act pious or put on a false perfect face, we are to let the light of Christ which is within us shine so that the world can see Christ in us. (Matthew 5:16)  We need to renew our mind daily with The Word of God.  Do not think that you know The Bible so well that you don’t have to reread it.  Humble yourself, (Romans 12:3) the more you read it, the more you will get out of it, especially if you pray first.

SUBMIT AND BE TRANSFORMED AND WALK IN THE LIGHT

Proclamation:

“But if we walk in the light, as He is The Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”  1 John 1:7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle John, the youngest of the twelve disciples who often referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. (John 13:23)  John wanted the people of God to know that the only way they could have true fellowship with The Lord God and with each other was if they walked in The Light and behaved in a Christ-like manner.  However, only those who believe and submit to Him will be purified from sin.

Application:

As most people come to the end of the calendar year, they complain about how bad the year was for them and they hope that things will be better in the New Year.  We cannot change the events of life, all we can do is change how we respond to them.  Some of our problems are due to our bad habits and our bad choices, so for a better year we need to change.  We can develop a new habit by deciding to do something differently and then doing it daily for seven days.  However, the only way to become a truly new and better person in the New Year is if God changes us.  Only if we have The Spirit of God within us will we have the desire to do His will.  And, only if we submit ourselves to Him, will we be able to resist the devil and his temptations, and cause him to flee from us, which will allow us to have and enjoy a much better life. (James 4:7)  The LORD God appeared to King Solomon, after he had built the temple, and said "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)  The only way that we can be sure of a better life in the upcoming year is if we submit to Christ.  Therefore, I urge you, do not conform to the sinful pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able enjoy God's will. (Romans 12:2)  If we want a different outcome next year, then we must behave differently.  Submit to The Lord God, be transformed, and walk in The Light in the New Year.

RENEWING OUR MIND

Proclamation:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform 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 12:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in Rome.  Paul offered them practical examples of how they should live the theological truths and principals which he had presented to them earlier.  He exhorted and encouraged them to yield themselves to God.  Paul told them not to imitate the behavior of the unsaved people around them.  They were to transform their mind by the study of and the meditation on the scriptures until they were saturated with and controlled by The Word of God.

Application:

As Christians, we should live our lives in such a way as to be pleasing to God.  We live in this world but we are not of this world.  Our real home is in heaven and we are on our way there.  We just need to get our mind, focus, and actions right while we are here on earth.  How do we "renew our mind"?  By reading, studying, and meditating on The Word of God.  We should read our Bible more often.  None of us is perfect; we can all improve and do better.  Don't be like the unsaved folk in the world.  When we accepted Christ as our personal savior we were changed, transformed into new creators.  We need to grow spiritually and renew our mind and our commitment on a daily basis.  Now that we belong to God, we can expect the devil to get busy in our lives.  We need to be on guard and constantly renew our foundation in God’s Word.  If we love someone, telling them that we love them once a week is not enough.  We need to show them that we love them by our actions and our behavior daily, if not several times each day.  In the same manner, just reading The Bible on Sunday is not enough.  We must read it and live it each day of the week.