Not Conformed

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2 (NASB)

Romans 12:1 was the focus of the previous post, examining the positive act of presenting one's body to God in a reasonable sacrifice of worship. Verse two begins with an opposing statement - the negative act that ought not to be done. A Christian is not to be conformed to this world. He is not to allow the influences of this world to be so strong that they control the way he looks, acts, and thinks.

This is a tremendous challenge in the world today. I suppose the greatest reason for struggle in this area is the deceptive invasiveness of the world's system. Christians are so overwhelming inundated with the world's philosophies that it is easy to live with the status quo. I think of oppressed countries in which the citizens are brainwashed to believe their society is normal and right. Until they see an example or experience a taste of freedom, they don't realize they are oppressed or that there is a better alternative. These citizens don't realize they are living in communism or socialism; they believe they are simply living. Similarly, too many Christians fail to recognize worldliness, godlessness, and humanism; instead, they simply see life. Therefore, the influences that surround them are not alarming.

When the world's influence is noticed, too often it is not taken seriously. The evaluation is often "It's not that bad" or "It won't influence me." The Christian thus allows worldly influences into his life, believing godless philosophies to be either acceptable or non-threatening. Neither is true. Far from being benign, the world can quickly and subtly infiltrate a believer's life; sadly, that believer becomes a pathetic example of what a Christian should be and actually portrays a better example of what would be expected in a person without God.

I hate to give specific examples, so I won't. It is clear however that there are ways of dressing and grooming that are influenced by the world's heroes - ungodly movie stars, musicians, athletes, and other celebrities that in many cases are actively fighting against God and His values. Their dress, hairstyle, and so on are designed to bring attention to self and to promote sensuality, neither of which are godly objectives. Yet people, including Christians, want to look like those people. Why would a Christian want to make those associations and use that kind of person as a role model?

Another major area of conformity is in music and entertainment, with movies and television being particularly troublesome. Much of the world's output of entertainment is filled with sexual innuendo, indecency, crude speech, profanity, and ungodly themes. Television programs actively promote such practices as dishonesty, immorality, infidelity, and homosexuality; at the very least these sins are presented as acceptable, if not worse. Even so-called good programming is guilty of embracing many of these elements. Yet there are Christians who not only watch these programs, but claim them as their favorite shows. Why would a Christian want to fill his mind with that type of input, usually in larger quantities than his spiritual input?

God wants His children to have pure bodies, pure minds, pure tongues, and pure eyes, but much of what the world has to offer is designed to produce just the opposite - and to make it seem okay. A Christian must be alert and on guard to discern the damaging aspects of the world's influence. Once he is aware of a danger, he must separate himself from it. It is one thing to be naive and ignorant of the dangers. It is another thing altogether to recognize the world's damaging influence and to choose that input or lifestyle.

 

A Christian who desires to press on to higher ground in his walk with God says, "It matters enough to me to grow in Christ-likeness that I will actively avoid and remove the world's influence from my life." This Christian will spend time in God's Word to learn what pleases and what displeases God. As he knows God better, he will become more circumspect about the world around him and more cautious in the input he allows. Instead of allowing himself to be conformed to the world, he will begin to look more and more like Christ.

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27 (NASB)

Reasonable Worship

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." Romans 12:1 (NASB)

I have long considered this to be my life verse. I may not think about it often in that context, but whenever I return to this verse, I find it to be an appropriate challenge and a valid expression of my heart's desire. The KJV translates the final words of the verse as "reasonable service." As I look at Strong's definitions of the original words, it seems there are two ideas; each of the translations highlights one of them. A Christian's service to God is, as the KJV highlights, reasonable; it is logical, and it makes sense. The NASB maximizes the other concept, which is the spiritual side of the service; rather than simply work that is done for God, it is an act of worship.

The conclusion is that giving one's life in a continuous act of worship to God is a reasonable response to the mercies of God. It is good and right and reasonable for a Christian to throw his whole life toward God in answer to all that God has done for him. While this New Testament verse is very familiar, the same concept is presented in the Old Testament. In Psalm 116:1-11, the psalmist describes the mercies of God, primarily expressed through answered prayer and rescue. He then asks this question in verse 12:

"What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?"

This is a logical question that ought to surface quite naturally when one considers the merciful benefits that God has worked for him. The remainder of the psalm is not necessarily designed as a checklist of things to do; nevertheless, it does mention a number of worshipful forms that reasonable service might take.

1. Prayer: The psalmist says that he will call on the name of the Lord. "I shall . . . call upon the name of the LORD" (vs. 13&17).

2. Public service: The psalmist determines to pay his vows to the Lord, and he specifically desires to do that in the presence of all God's people. "I shall pay my vows to the LORD, oh may it be in the presence of all His people" (vs. 14&18).

3. Life of godliness: The psalmist desires his entire life to be pleasing to God so that his life is summarized as godly and his death is precious to God. "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones" (v. 15).

4. Life of service: The psalmist declares himself to be a servant willing to remain voluntarily in servitude to God. "O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds" (v. 16)

5. Thanksgiving: The psalmist commits to expressing his thanks to God, even when that expression is a sacrifice. "To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving" (v. 17).

6. Praise: The psalmist asserts the importance of pronouncing praise to God. "In the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!" (v. 19).

What does reasonable service to God look like? How can a Christian express the giving of his body as a living and holy sacrifice? This psalm gives some great illustrations of the "spiritual service of worship." A Christian who endeavors to do these six things is one who shows evidence that his life is not his own, but rather has been given to serve and exalt His Savior and God. These are the reasonable actions and characteristics that God desires from His children.

Time

                Time (Sonnet 22)
Before a timeless God, the eons drift.
Within eternity a thousand years
Pass like a day or single nightly shift,
But man fades just as soon as he appears.
Almost before he starts, he turns to dust;
His life is shallow and his time so brief.
His sinful nature brings a death that’s just;
The paltry years he lasts are full of grief.
For such great sinners, how would You advise?
In such a fleeting time, what can he do?
Teach him to make days count and to be wise,
So he’ll present a heart that pleases You.
It’s possible if You will work and bless;
‘Tis only with Your favor he’ll progress.

Psalm 90, written by Moses, is a great reminder of the brevity of life. Even if someone lives for eighty years, his life flashes by so quickly. Eternity in heaven will be wonderful, with all the time in the world to worship God and enjoy His presence. This life, however, is the only time available for making a difference in the lives of others.

Because life is so brief, there is no time to waste. God's children must give diligence toward becoming what God wants them to become so that they can do what He wants them to do. This process happens only through God's blessing. Thanks be to God that He is able to take people who are hopelessly flawed and who progress at such a painstakingly slow pace, and He is able to use them within His great plan. Oh, God, may it be so in my life!

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (NASB)

Fear of Inconsistency

In recent entries I have focused on the topic of impacting others for good. We do this by showing them an example of a vibrant Christian, one who has a close relationship with God due to pursuing things that promote a special relationship and avoiding things that hinder it. We have looked at ways both to build the relationship with God and to let it shine through to others. In the final segment of this mini-series, I would like to examine what I believe to be the primary reason we don't share our spiritual walk with others.

I believe we are most reluctant to let others see our personal walk with God due to fear of inconsistency. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe that most of us have urgings and desires from time to time to want to minister to others. We consider what it would be like to teach a Sunday school class. We think about volunteering to help with discipleship. We wish we were bold enough to pray with someone who is hurting. We want to share a testimony about God's goodness to us. We aspire to be able to pray in public.

We hold back, however, in following through with our desires and intentions because of fear. Some of those things require long-term commitment. We think they can be done only by spiritually strong Christians. With other opportunities, there seems to be the unspoken expectation that if we do them once, we will be expected to do them regularly and consistently. We fear that we won't be able to follow through.

For example, if we share a testimony about how God has provided for us in a special way, teaching us to trust Him to meet our every need, that seems to set the standard that we must never struggle in that area again. How do we know what God will do for us in the future? How do we know that we will remember the lesson and respond appropriately? Are we setting ourselves up to never be able to share struggles again without being seen as an inconsistent failure?

What about sharing regarding our personal time with God? There are days or seasons of life in which our devotional time with God is very precious. We are so blessed and excited about the special things God is doing that we want to share them with others. But, wait. If we tell others how wonderful that time with God is, and then the next few weeks (or months) are dull in comparison, how do we handle that? Will people not have the expectation that we will be constantly overflowing with the sweetness of our communion with God?

How can we stand up front and teach Sunday school when there are weeks that it is a challenge just to get there? How can we disciple someone else when we know there are days that we still struggle ourselves? How can we share a testimony of God's blessing when we are aware of how often we are driven to complain? We know we will fail in the future, so we are hesitant to "stick our necks out" by committing to any spiritual leadership.

Aside from the inconsistency of our spiritual man, there is the inconsistency of our physical body. It's hard to show the joy of the Lord through our actions and demeanor when we are dealing with sickness, lack of sleep, and aggravating circumstances. We know we won't appear to be overflowing with God's goodness when we have a headache or nasty cold. We won't appear vibrant when the kids kept us up half the night or when we had to shovel snow for two hours before coming to church. Are we afraid of inconsistency and loss of our testimony based on things we cannot help?

What is the bottom line of all these doubts? Welcome to humanity. It is good for us to aspire and work toward a consistently vibrant walk with God. We should desire to never mess up, even when things are beyond our control. As long as we live in human bodies, however, that perfection will not happen. If we wait for perfection before we commit to serve, we will never serve. If we require absolute consistency before we are willing to share our personal Christianity with others, we will never do it.

As I mentioned previously in this mini-series, the key element is not necessarily the spiritual level that we have achieved, but the tenderness of our heart toward God. If we are seeking to grow closer to God, that overall intention and inclination is what best demonstrates the vibrancy of our relationship. Each one of us is a work in progress, and as we progress, we can and should help others to progress as well. Interestingly, we can encourage others even in the midst of inconsistency - if we consistently show that we are determined to move on from those failures and continue the pursuit of godliness. If we have a willing heart, God can use us where we are, and He will also continue His work in and through us. Ultimately, it is His work; we can never do it on our own.

"For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:15, 19, 24, 25a (NASB)