1)
I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service.
2)
And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
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he
Lord is expecting a change in His
people. Of course, in order for us to make
this change, we must fully know and understand our responsibility in meeting
His expectations.
Of
course, in order for Man to change, he must see his need of change. In order to
change, he must have the help of one with the necessary "tools." Now,
many will readily profess a desire to change and a need for help, but
generally, the help is desired with "no-strings-attached." This is
not scriptural, for whenever the Lord brought a man help, He expected that man
to then change his ways that he might
be of benefit to Him.
Verse
two of our text instructs us not to try to be as the World. Why? Because it and its inhabitants are unstable. Things change
as frequently as "water," and nothing is
"consistent."
All
one need do is look around to see that the Church seems to be attempting to
"mock" the World as closely as possible. The devil would deceive many
into believing that the principles established through the Holy Ghost so many
centuries ago are in need of modification and change. The truth is that the
Lord has always required separation from those who would be called by His Name.
Far
too often, we are "short-sighted," and base our likes and dislikes,
along with our obedience or dis-obedience on what
pleases us .
But, just imagine, if the Church and the World are no different from one
another, how will the World ever know that
it needs to be changed? This attempt at "blending in" is a result
of the reluctance of many of the saints to "stand out." But, if one
is not willing to do so, he will never be able to represent Christ. You see,
Jesus stood out that He might be able to be identified
and only that which is easily identifiable is able to help others.
Perhaps
never before has "Christianity" been so popular. There is no lack of
preachers, programming or promises. The problem is, not everyone who makes
promises is able to keep them. Everyone
who professes to know God does not necessarily have a friendly relationship
with Him. So, you see, you must know to whom you have pledged your allegiance
and you must be sure that that person
can impart to you the true essence of Jesus Christ. Today is not a day to lust
after or be satisfied with what pleases the flesh. If one intends to make it
into the
Simply
dedicating oneself to seeking and discovering the wisdom and understanding of
the Lord is not enough to "score points" with Him. You see, He is not
impressed by what we know
, but rather, what we do . All
of the amassed knowledge of God in the world means absolutely nothing if not
accompanied by change in the one who amasses it. And, rest assured, the more
knowledge one acquires, the more he will change--if that one is sincere.
We
are not saved and delivered for ourselves. Once we accept the Lord, we can use
all that is given to us through salvation for others. You see, rarely do we
realize exactly what we can be for the Lord and what He intends to
"make" us. This is primarily because this information can only be
gained through the Spirit, and if one insists upon counting himself a
"human being," he will continue to think that way.
"God
is (indeed) looking for a change," but only those willing to be changed will be and only those who will
be changed will be able to please God. The joy, peace and happiness for which
we are looking and with which God will bless us is
available only to those who will leave their own "world" and enter
His. His world is the world of the Spirit and one gains it only by becoming
like Him.