Tuesday, September 10, 2013

How To Live Sane In An Insane World, Part 5

Last week we looked at the first part of a spiritual prescription to help us get our thinking straight and lined up with the Word of God. If you happened to have missed it, the prescriptive verses were 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Hopefully we’ve all been taking advantage of casting down imaginations and taking every thought captive! This week, I want to cover Part Two of our spiritual prescription: Romans 12:1.

 
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

We had kind of a funny little thing happen recently with Zachariah. We were reading his children’s Bible with him, and we came to a particular Old Testament passage where it was talking about how people brought “piles of cows” as an offering to the Lord. Zach said, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! They brought ‘piles of cows’?” I answered, “Yes, Zach, that’s what they did.” He said, “Does that mean that they brought cow piles as an offering?” Depending on where you’re from, you may or may not know what those are. We then had to explain to him that they didn’t bring cow piles, but piles, or lots, of cows.

Thankfully, we no longer need to bring that type of offering, but the Word tells us what God is looking for. Paul said we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice. Have we done that? Are we doing that on an ongoing basis? What kind of offering are we bringing to the Lord?

Do not be conformed to the world! Do not let the world act as a magnet and draw you in and make you the same as it. Let me ask you a question. Are the Church and believers acting as though they’ve been conformed to the world, or are they behaving as thought they’ve been transformed by the renewing of their minds? I look at so much of what is going on, and I see such conformity with the world.

Many times, I have to stop and ask, “Why?” It truly is the result of not being transformed. The word “transformed” comes from the Greek word, “metamorphoo,” which is directly related to “metamorphosis.” Is it any wonder that today’s Christianity in many circles is very shallow? I believe that is the result of a very shallow message that lacks the power and ability to bring transformation to the human life. Why is that? I believe it is because the message is not centered on the Word; therefore, it lacks the ability to bring transformation.

In many instances, the Church looks and acts like the world and says, “Can’t we just all get along?” Before you know it, we’re all holding hands and singing, “We are the world.” We want to be accepted by the world, but Jesus said, “I’m sending you like lambs into the midst of wolves.”

You’re not of the world, but you’re in it, so you’re to be different! We need not be ashamed of being different! You are unique; you are a peculiar people; you are God’s own chosen race, His holy priesthood! You’ve been set apart by God in order to bring Him glory and enjoy Him forever! That is the purpose for which you exist! Be not ashamed or afraid of it. My friends, since the Word says we’re not supposed to be conformed to the world, then we need to be transformed, and Paul said that is the result of getting our minds renewed.

“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,” means a total renovation, a complete change in the way that we think. What can begin to make us think so radically different? A knowledge of the Word of God and allowing it to take its place in our lives!

There you have the first two parts of the spiritual prescription that will help us change our thinking. As I mentioned previously, this four-part “medicinal remedy” should be administered three times daily until the “patient’s” thinking comes into alignment with God’s Word.

Grace and Peace,
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