Changing Our Minds

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.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

Romans 12:2-3 NLT

Somewhere along our life's journey, we realize the extreme influence of the people we hang out with, TV shows, news feeds, and social media. As Christians, it can be a constant battle to not compare ourselves with others and the world's standards. 

The US Surgeon General has recommended a health warning label for social media, citing

negative consequences he's observed by talking with students, including feelings of "endless comparison," the "feeling of being addicted" and "difficulty having real conversations on platforms that too often fostered outrage and bullying."

 It's my observation that it's not just kids who are \negatively affected. We need to check ourselves. It is a battle. It can be an addiction. The false realities that tend to be portrayed can lead to depression and anxiety. 

The Good News is, we're not the ones changing our minds. God is. 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.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for never leaving us alone to try to accomplish what only You can do in us, for us and through us by Your love, mercy and grace. Change our hearts and minds, Father. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

To Be Different

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 12:2 NIV

I was watching the latest docu-series on Netflix called The World's Most Extraordinary Homes. The hosts travel the globe to showcase unbelievable homes. Not for their extravagance, but for their unique architectural and breathtaking design. Many are designed to blend in with the least amount of intrusive disruption to the surrounding landscape and ecological system, be it mountain, sea or forest. They truly are some of the most extraordinary - at least in the two episodes I've seen.

I totally agree with preserving our natural resources and environments, but I was struck by the illustration of how people will go to such extraordinary lengths (pun intended) to conform to the pattern of this world. Sometimes, without realizing that the final cost will be much more than they had allowed or anticipated.

And so it is with lives. People want to fit in, to blend, to be recognized for their ability to commingle, many times without realizing that the final cost will be much more than they had anticipated. What price are you willing to pay? Have you considered the cost (Luke 14:28)? Matthew 16:26 NLT reads, And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 2nd Corinthians 6:17 urges us to come out from among them and be separate...

Prayer:

Father,

        You have called us to be different than the world.  We are called to be in relationship with Christ because He loved us and gave Himself up for us to make us holy, cleansing us by the washing with water through Your Word, to present us to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, to be holy and blameless. Lead us up higher, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen