“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2 NKJV
Picture a young child who’s been living all their life on the streets, sleeping on the bare floor. Until one day when a kind family decides to adopt the child as their own. They take this child into their home, feed the child, and give them a proper room with a bed to sleep on. However, the child chooses instead to sleep on the bare floor as usual.
That would be quite shocking, wouldn’t it? After all, here’s something this child has been lacking and longing for, yet they don’t jump at it as you might expect them to. It is the same way when you accept the gospel and are adopted into God’s family, but maintain the status quo in your desires and general outlook on life.
You see, it must count for something that you received the life of Christ. It must be evident. This means that your old behaviour and ways of living must conform to your new status as a child of God, and not the other way around. Old things must pass away. (2 Corinthians 5:17) You are no longer of the world but of Christ. Therefore, you must live like it.
Thankfully, God didn’t leave you helpless! His Holy Spirit in you equips you with all that you need to walk in the light of the gospel, covering every aspect of your life. He is able to help you unlearn unforgivingness, being unkind, using foul language—you name it. All it takes is that you allow Him to work in you. (Ephesians 4:30-32)
After you become saved, pursuing God’s will is possible when you continuously renew your mind. By spending time in the word, prayer, and fellowship, you give the Spirit room to transform you into the culture of Christ, and to lead you per time. You allow the transformative power of God’s word to change you inwardly.
Believing in the gospel has also conferred on you a ministry. The Bible, in 2 Corinthians 5:20, calls you an ambassador for Christ! This means that you are God’s representative here on earth. Therefore, you have to preach to others the same good news that saved you, so that they can also believe and be saved.
Seeing through the lens of the cross also means that you can forgive because you have been forgiven. You can extend grace to others because you were given grace freely. Your reception of the new life should reflect in how you treat others.
Finally, the devil and sin have no hold over you. You have been called to live fully for God, sold out to His will, and sanctified among those on earth.
Bible Reading Plan: Joshua 11-13