Does this world and its ways make your head spin?  As you look around, does nothing make sense anymore?  As I was reading in Romans 11-13 this morning, I found myself really pondering Paul’s words in light of our culture.  I’m going to share an excerpt from my journal, and I pray you can follow this old gal’s train of thought.  Sometimes it’s all over the place.  haha

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

Filtering my thoughts through this world’s way of thinking, I will never be able to accurately judge what God says is good and acceptable and perfect.  This discernment comes only by renewing my mind to God’s pattern of thought, found in His word and taught by His Spirit.  Only then will my judgment and my behavior align with the Father’s.  

This world is so upside down.  But in all honesty, if I am thinking rightly, this world shouldn’t make sense to me, right?  

Oh Father, help me to continue to renew my mind.  Shine Your light on ways I may be being shaped by this wicked culture in which I live.  

As I read Romans 12:3, it seems as though Paul is changing lanes from his “transform…by the renewing of your mind” and on to how we interact with others.  But I don’t believe that’s really the case.  

“…I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself
than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment.”

As I sat in this verse a minute, I realized that if I really take time to realize all the areas in which my life has been shaped by this wicked culture, “not thinking more highly of myself” would not be a problem.  I’d realize that I certainly don’t have it all together.  

What I think of myself compared to others is as much an inside job and not thinking like the world is.  This “inside job” is one that needs addressed in the process of mind-renewing.  

Paul gave a list of commands at the end of this chapter at the end of this chapter. These are just a few things that jumped out to me as I read Paul’s commands.  

LET LOVE BE WITHOUT HYPOCRISY (v.9).  God’s way is from the inside out.  The world’s way is action without heart for appearance-sake.  “Have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart“, 1 Peter 1:22

GIVE PREFERENCE TO ONE ANOTHER IN HONOR (v10).  The world’s attitude is “who do you think you are to go before me?!” Jesus came to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28), and He displayed that heart as washed His disciples’ feet, even the one who would betray Him.  

RESPECT WHAT IS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF ALL MEN (v17).  All men, not just ones who agree with me.  All men, even the ones who may persecute me.  Jesus said that the world hated Him first, and the world would hate us too (John 15:18).

I hope you clicked the link above and read verses 9-21.  Circling back to where we started, I will never be able to be obedient to the commands listed there without first being obedient to the command found in verse 2 – “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”  

Does this sound as much of a tall order to you as it does to me?  Well, I sat here processing all that this chapter contained.  As I did, the Spirit prompted me to look at a few of the words more deeply.  

“Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world”. Be conformed (syschēmatizō) is in the imperative – it’s a command, not a suggestion, that we not live like the world lives; and that segues into the next word I looked up – “be transformed” (metamorphoō) which is also in the imperative, BUT it is in the passive voice, which means that the subject of that verb is the recipient of the action.  We choose to not be conformed, and then the Spirit does the transforming as we choose to renew our minds.  

I know that may be confusing but think of it this way.  The word “renewing” (anakainosis) means renovation or renewal.  If I am renovating my kitchen, I have to tear out the “old” in order to replace it with the “new”.  So spiritually speaking, as we obediently acknowledge that our old way of thinking and living is wrong, we tear out “pattern of the world” from our minds, allowing the Spirit to “transform” us by the continual process of replacing the old thought-patterns  with the new thought patterns of God.  

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing 
raised up against the knowledge of God, 
and we are taking every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ
~~2 Corinthians 10:5~~

“See to it that no one takes you captive 
through philosophy and empty deception, 
according to the tradition of men, 
according to the elementary principles of the world, 
rather than according to Christ.
~~Colossians 2:8~~

“And they may come to their senses 
and escape from the snare of the devil,
having been held captive by him to do his will.”
~~2 Timothy 2:6~~

So let’s renovate!!!

 OUT WITH THE OLD!  IN WITH THE NEW!