The Bible warns us against conforming to the world and being led astray. Small concessions grease the tracks on a slippery slope. I don’t think most people conform for the sake of conforming, rather they’re trying to keep peace. The problem with this type of peacemaking is that when you meet selfish demands, the demands increase. “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, ESV).
God wants us to transform ourselves by renewing our minds to be focused on God and his Word. When new parents bring their baby home from the hospital, their entire focus is on caring for that baby. They make sure the home is safe and the baby has everything she or he needs. They alter the life they used to live to make the baby their new focus. Parents keep their baby from harmful environments, activities, and people. As the baby grows, they instill that sense of self-protection in their child so the child is able to make safe decisions.
If we put effort into protecting ourselves from potential worldly harm, we’ll develop the discernment for God’s will. How do we learn to protect ourselves? We study the Word. Support from other Christians is a great help, but no one is perfect. Just because someone is trying to follow God’s Word doesn’t mean they won’t mess up or even be deceived. It would be irresponsible and lazy to copy everything a Christian does without confirming alignment with Scripture. Christians aren’t perfect, and not everyone who claims to be a Christian even knows what they’re talking about.
To What Are You Conforming?
Conformity, in itself isn’t a bad thing. To conform is to adhere to rules and norms. In a household, conforming to the rules of putting dirty clothes in the hamper and regular handwashing are desirable. In this example, the rules benefit everyone and harm no one. A job that requires employees to lie to coverup deceitful practices helps the organization but harms the public. An employee who doesn’t want to lie is also harmed in this conformity. If or when the truth gets out, the organization is harmed by losing credibility and maybe lawsuits.
Conforming to time-tested principles of a healthy diet is good for your health and a sensible budget is good financially. Conforming to the “I deserve it all right now” societal mentality is devastating. Actions have consequences. The product of a healthy diet is typically a lean healthy body. The effect of having it all right now is typically financial ruin. In the latter example, the concept of hard work and earning what you want seem to be lacking.
God gave commandments to the Israelites in Exodus chapter 20. They include not murdering, stealing, or committing adultery. These are big rules that most people agree should be followed. What about the other commandments like, honoring your parents and having no other gods? To honor your parents is to respect them. Granted, some people have murderers for parents, but most don’t. Do you respect your parents when you disagree with them? Do you put anything before God; money, relationships, career, addictions? Anything that takes precedence over God is another god.
Transform
Instead of trying to adhere to Biblical rules, Scripture says to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Obviously, the Ten Commandments are important and should be followed. But when you renew your mind – your thinking and focus – your behavior is transformed. As a hypnotherapist, I help people focus on positive things they want for self-improvement. As clients practice meditating on the desired outcome, their behavior changes to make the outcome reality. They renew their minds and transform for the better. People who concentrate on negative or evil thoughts tend to live out their negative thoughts.
To read Scripture, pray, fellowship with believers, and truly seek God’s guidance all the time will renew your mind. Considering what God wants before you act and spending focused time in prayer will become an automatic way of life. Have you ever been around someone obsessed with a hobby or sport? The way they think and the things they do revolve around that obsession. God wants us to make him our obsession.
When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment is, He said:
“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than If everyone loved God above all else and loved others as much as themselves, there’d be no room for evil. Note this Scripture doesn’t say to like or trust everyone. It’s possible to love someone without liking their behavior. And just because you love someone doesn’t mean they’d be a good babysitting option.
Transforming is Better
Conforming doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but it usually is. Transforming from a renewed and Godly mind is clearly the better option. When a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, it can go farther with its new wings. As a butterfly, it’s more beautiful, and it helps others by pollinating plants. The caterpillar’s transformation makes everyone’s life better.
Think of it this way; you have a hated room in your house that is ugly and full of clutter. Would you want to learn to function in the room the way it is? Or would you rather clear it out, clean, redecorate, and fill it with useful items and functional furniture? I think the choice is obvious. This is what God wants us to do with our minds.
When we clear out the cluttered thoughts and dysfunctional behaviors, we can then replace it with love. Filling our minds with love causes love to spill out and be shared with others. This doesn’t mean seeing the world through rose-colored glasses either. We should seek to see the world through God’s eyes – realistically but with love and compassion.
Relax to Linda’s Serenity Christian Meditations podcast.
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