The Truth About Conforming to the World

“Do not be shaped by this world; instead, be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” -Romans 12:2

It is hard to live in the world even for Christians. There is a lot of things that contend for our time and attention. It is a struggle for Christians to live a holy life that pleases God. We battle with sin that gets in our way to live according to what God commands us to. We live in the world with other sinners which makes it hard for believers who want to be different.

No one wants to be excluded or hated. When we are excluded from things it is painful, but the real reason it hurts has a deeper meaning. We think people exclude us because they hate us, but it has to do with sin. The reason we hate being excluded started when Adam and Eve did not listen to God in the Garden of Eden. After they ate fruit from the tree God told them not to, He kicked them out. Since then, being separated from God is the real reason we hate rejection. No one wants to experience being excluded from God because it means they cannot go to heaven and will be separated from God forever.

We are told by Paul that Christians need to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. It means we should think the way God thinks. It is done by studying the word of God, prayer, and with help from the Holy Spirit. Christ died to deliver Christians from the world and anyone who loves the world is an enemy of God. Christians are only here to spread the good news of Jesus, to tell others to repent and turn away from their sinful ways.

Prayer of the day:

Dear heavenly Father,

It is very hard for us to live in the world without sinning and doing things that displease You. We do not want to be conformed to the world or make earthly objects idols. We come to You in prayer and ask You to hear our pleas and give us the ability to withstand the temptation to do what others are doing. Help us to be different than the world and follow in the foots steps of Jesus. We want to be like Him. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!