"Do Not Be Conformed ... Be Transformed"

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

One of the biggest problems with most disciples of Christ in the United States is falling into the trap of being "conformed to this world". What does Paul mean by "conformed to this world"? The word "conformed" carries the idea of being "molded". We are to avoid being cast in the mold of this world. God does not leave us in this world when we are saved only to be drawn into the mold of this world system. Too many born again Christians believe in Jesus Christ but live in an unwitting acceptance of a secular world view. Our words may speak of the kingdom of God, but our actions don't look much different from our unsaved friends living in the secular world. Do not inadvertently default to a secular mind set because that's how your neighbors live. Check yourself: Are there worldly pleasures or activities that you unthinkingly (or perhaps even deliberately) indulge?

"...but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Let's explore that a little bit. First, what does the word “transformed” mean? The Greek word for "transformed" is the same word that was used to describe the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain with Moses and Elijah. Just as Jesus radiated the glory of God on that mountain, our minds will reflect the glory of God if we allow our minds to be renewed. How are our minds renewed? First, notice that we do not transform our minds, but rather the text says to "be transformed" implying that the work of transformation is not done by us but by God. However, we do have a part in this transformation. We must allow our minds to be renewed by exposing our minds to the Word of God. We must study our Bible and know it well. And we must "offer our bodies as a living sacrifice" every day in alignment with the Scriptures. We must expose our minds to the Word of God and to conversation with God every day and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us by renewing our minds.

How do we do this? Each morning immediately after getting out of bed, I pick up my Bible and begin a time of prayer, Bible reading and devotion. My habit is to read through the entire Bible in a year so that I am regularly exposed to the entire counsel of God. Other men have different ways of reading Scripture every day. Some men read a devotional book every morning that leads them into into the Scripture. However you approach it, daily reading of Scripture is an excellent tool for renewing your mind. Regular Bible study is also an important aspect of renewing your mind beyond daily reading of the Scripture. There are many different methods of Bible study that are beyond the scope of this post, but studying the Bible, in addition to simply reading it, is very important. As we expose ourselves to the Word of God in a variety of ways, the Holy Spirit will "transform us by renewing our minds."

"... that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Many of us struggle to find out what is the will of God for our lives, and we may be missing the point a little bit. We prove the will of God by offering our bodies as living sacrifices, by not being conformed to the world, and by being transformed by the renewing of our minds. It seems to me that God's will for each of our lives may have less to do with what job we have or what house we live in and a lot more to do with how we allow Christ to live in us and through us - how we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us - as we offer our bodies as living sacrifices.