“Do not conform any longer 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)
We write songs about it; create plays to demonstrate its workings; make up stories to illustrate all of the many variations of it, and talk incessantly about it. And what is this popular subject? It is the world in which we live, and we, understandably, love and cherish it our earthly home. However, there is a dirty little suffix that adds another meaning to the word “world” and that is the “ly”. When we pay too much attention to our position, responsibilities, activities, passions, pleasures and priorities in this world, we become “worldly”, and this love of the world can separate us from the throne of God.
Paul, the writer of the gospel of Romans, knew all about the world’s agenda. He was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, rebuked, and hungry, to name a few of the worldly injustices he endured. But, Paul’s response to this worldly suffering was shocking. He said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Paul was once a persecutor of Christians, but through God’ intervention in Paul’s life, the once worldly Saul became Paul, a leading spokesperson for God’s heavenly agenda.
When the daily stresses and issues of this world confound us, we can go to God in prayer, read His word, and be transformed by His will for us. And what is God’s perfect will for us? It can be found in the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) It’s that hard and that simple. If God is our only object of worship, the things of the world will lose their importance, and we will find His perfect will for our lives.
Guest Blogger: Myra F. Smith
