Non-Conformity
“Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.”- Psalm 4:3
“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
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.”-1 Peter 1:14
Sanctification is both instantaneous and progressive. When you receive Christ for the forgiveness of sins, you are then and forever more seen by God as being totally justified and sanctified; holy in His sight by virtue of the blood of Christ with which you are now cleansed. It is a process because we must live out our lives on this earth, which is an unholy place. We are tainted by it, influenced by it and need God’s help to make it through. To be holy would be to be perfect and sinless and we are not. We sin every day in some way or another.
According to His Word, God has set us apart to do a good work on His behalf. We are to be strangers in a strange land. We are to be non-conformists, swimming upstream against the social norm. We are just passing through on our way to glory. We have a mission, which I fear too many Christians do not realize. Our lives should entail more than just being blessed and seeking material opulence, all the while praising God for all His many blessings as we go. We are called to minister His grace and mercy to those around us. We are in a unique position in that each of us have access to people that might otherwise never even consider the importance of a relationship with God. If not for us they might simply think we are born, we live and we die … period.
Let’s get one thing very clear here … I am not speaking of becoming religious or even spiritual … I am speaking about a very personal and specific relationship with Almighty God. Knowing God intimately on a relational basis is going to take a lot more than just attending church. It will take work and time. If we are not going to conform to this world and to the evil desires that once ensnared us, we must truly know God.
Let me ask you, what does God mean to you? Do you know Him well enough to know His plan for you? Do you know Him well enough to tell others about Him? We are to be set apart. We should feel uncomfortable in this world. This world is not what it appears to be. It’s all smoke and mirrors. Temptations abound. We can get duped into old habits and fooled into making God less important in our lives by virtue of the “things”we spend our time on. Do not be fooled any longer. God loves you and is patient as we learn our lessons, but there will come a day when time will be no more and we’ll stand before our King. People don’t like to hear about the judgment of God, but it’s a real thing. If you are His child, live like it, to the best of your ability. When you take a tumble, get up and dust yourself off and move on. If your walk with God is suspect, look deep inside and make a self-evaluation. If we aren’t God’s hand extended to a lost and dying world then who will be? Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller
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