Wednesday, May 10, 2006
A Parable About a Lighthouse
Jesus Christ often taught his disciples using parables. The following is a parable or fictional story about a lighthouse.
In many ways it was a typical New England town. It was in Massachusetts on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, where the white caps would pound the shoreline filled with many jagged rocks. It was in the days before modern navigational aids. Ships would sometimes run aground in the dark and stormy seas on their way to Boston Harbor and small craft would capsize and those aboard would perish.
Then the mayor of the town called many of its citizens to a town hall meeting. The citizens who answered the mayor’s call decided to build and operate a lighthouse and rescue service. The mayor assigned his son to lead the project because the mayor’s son was a builder and had a heart for serving others.
The townspeople were excited to have a part in such an important mission. The mayor’s son laid the foundation for the lighthouse and the rest of the townspeople completed it. They formed a lighthouse society and took turns operating the lighthouse. Those who were more skilled in boating and swimming formed a rescue team to save those who were in peril even with the aid of the lighthouse.
Far fewer ships ran aground because of the lighthouse. The rescue team saved all of the small craft that capsized in the rough waters. The project was a success as the townspeople had hearts that yearned to be of service as they eagerly cooperated with the mayor’s son who directed the building of the lighthouse and served as president of the lighthouse society.
Because of their common interests, the members of the lighthouse society began to have many social activities, including boating and rescue contests, picnics, special dinners, dances, bowling teams, and golf tournaments. These activities grew in popularity. In a few years, these activities had become so varied and enjoyable that fewer and fewer members of the lighthouse society had any time left to operate the lighthouse or any desire to give of their financial resources for its upkeep.
Even worse, some members of the society began to argue and fight among themselves. Some members left in disgust, and other members filed lawsuits against their fellow members. A small number of members performed most of the work that needed to be done, and some tasks were left undone.
Just as the mayor called the townspeople to serve in building and operating the lighthouse, Christians have been called by God the Father to walk in the light of his truth as shown in I John 1:5-7:
"5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (KJV)
Just as the mayor gave the authority for building and operating the lighthouse to his son, God has given all power in heaven and earth to Jesus Christ, who is head of the Church.
Jesus Christ has given his disciples the great commission of spreading the light of the gospel to all nations. We must follow the light of Jesus Christ because a good example is important in fulfilling our calling to make disciples of all nations.
Although Satan may appear as an angel of light, the true light comes from Jesus Christ and the Word of God. They light our path so that we can follow that route that light leads with boldness and without fear that we will run aground in our life’s journey. We are to study God’s Word diligently so that we can see the true light for our journey.
However, we are not to dock our spiritual ships and just stare at the light. We should not spend all our waking hours studying the Bible. We must study the Bible to see the light of God, but we are to use the light to see clearly how to navigate our spiritual ships through life’s stormy seas.
We need the light of God’s Word to guide us in our daily lives at school, at work, in the home, and in the church. We must be on the proper course to have true fellowship with the other disciples of Jesus Christ. We must admit our sins when the light shows us that we are off course, seek God’s forgiveness, and ask Him for a course correction.
We are not to argue with the lighthouse. Sometimes the course we are following seems to be good, but we must be willing to change course as we better understand the Word of God.
We must always navigate by faith and grow in grace and knowledge so that we can better reflect the light of Jesus Christ to others. We are called to work in the spiritual lighthouse of Jesus Christ. Our good works light the path for others. Nothing teaches better than a good example. People usually do not care how much we know about God’s Word, but they are moved by our example and how much we care about others as shown by our good works.
Jesus Christ, the captain of our salvation, has given his disciples the commission of spreading the light of the glorious gospel of the Kingdom of God to all nations. We must always keep our eyes on the mission and not get overwhelmed with activities, the cares of this life, and arguing with our fellow disciples as did the members of the lighthouse society. Matthew 24:45-51 is instructive in this regard:
"45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (KJV)
As we navigate our spiritual ships through life’s stormy seas, we should keep our eyes on Jesus Christ the true lighthouse. We should follow the light from Jesus Christ and the Word of God and reflect it to others. We should keep our eyes on our mission of helping to shine the light of the glorious good news of the Kingdom of God to all the world.
For more good news, please request your free subscription to the Good News Magazine.
You might also want to request a free printed copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom or read it online in html, pdf, or pdb.
In many ways it was a typical New England town. It was in Massachusetts on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, where the white caps would pound the shoreline filled with many jagged rocks. It was in the days before modern navigational aids. Ships would sometimes run aground in the dark and stormy seas on their way to Boston Harbor and small craft would capsize and those aboard would perish.
Then the mayor of the town called many of its citizens to a town hall meeting. The citizens who answered the mayor’s call decided to build and operate a lighthouse and rescue service. The mayor assigned his son to lead the project because the mayor’s son was a builder and had a heart for serving others.
The townspeople were excited to have a part in such an important mission. The mayor’s son laid the foundation for the lighthouse and the rest of the townspeople completed it. They formed a lighthouse society and took turns operating the lighthouse. Those who were more skilled in boating and swimming formed a rescue team to save those who were in peril even with the aid of the lighthouse.
Far fewer ships ran aground because of the lighthouse. The rescue team saved all of the small craft that capsized in the rough waters. The project was a success as the townspeople had hearts that yearned to be of service as they eagerly cooperated with the mayor’s son who directed the building of the lighthouse and served as president of the lighthouse society.
Because of their common interests, the members of the lighthouse society began to have many social activities, including boating and rescue contests, picnics, special dinners, dances, bowling teams, and golf tournaments. These activities grew in popularity. In a few years, these activities had become so varied and enjoyable that fewer and fewer members of the lighthouse society had any time left to operate the lighthouse or any desire to give of their financial resources for its upkeep.
Even worse, some members of the society began to argue and fight among themselves. Some members left in disgust, and other members filed lawsuits against their fellow members. A small number of members performed most of the work that needed to be done, and some tasks were left undone.
Just as the mayor called the townspeople to serve in building and operating the lighthouse, Christians have been called by God the Father to walk in the light of his truth as shown in I John 1:5-7:
"5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (KJV)
Just as the mayor gave the authority for building and operating the lighthouse to his son, God has given all power in heaven and earth to Jesus Christ, who is head of the Church.
Jesus Christ has given his disciples the great commission of spreading the light of the gospel to all nations. We must follow the light of Jesus Christ because a good example is important in fulfilling our calling to make disciples of all nations.
Although Satan may appear as an angel of light, the true light comes from Jesus Christ and the Word of God. They light our path so that we can follow that route that light leads with boldness and without fear that we will run aground in our life’s journey. We are to study God’s Word diligently so that we can see the true light for our journey.
However, we are not to dock our spiritual ships and just stare at the light. We should not spend all our waking hours studying the Bible. We must study the Bible to see the light of God, but we are to use the light to see clearly how to navigate our spiritual ships through life’s stormy seas.
We need the light of God’s Word to guide us in our daily lives at school, at work, in the home, and in the church. We must be on the proper course to have true fellowship with the other disciples of Jesus Christ. We must admit our sins when the light shows us that we are off course, seek God’s forgiveness, and ask Him for a course correction.
We are not to argue with the lighthouse. Sometimes the course we are following seems to be good, but we must be willing to change course as we better understand the Word of God.
We must always navigate by faith and grow in grace and knowledge so that we can better reflect the light of Jesus Christ to others. We are called to work in the spiritual lighthouse of Jesus Christ. Our good works light the path for others. Nothing teaches better than a good example. People usually do not care how much we know about God’s Word, but they are moved by our example and how much we care about others as shown by our good works.
Jesus Christ, the captain of our salvation, has given his disciples the commission of spreading the light of the glorious gospel of the Kingdom of God to all nations. We must always keep our eyes on the mission and not get overwhelmed with activities, the cares of this life, and arguing with our fellow disciples as did the members of the lighthouse society. Matthew 24:45-51 is instructive in this regard:
"45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (KJV)
As we navigate our spiritual ships through life’s stormy seas, we should keep our eyes on Jesus Christ the true lighthouse. We should follow the light from Jesus Christ and the Word of God and reflect it to others. We should keep our eyes on our mission of helping to shine the light of the glorious good news of the Kingdom of God to all the world.
For more good news, please request your free subscription to the Good News Magazine.
You might also want to request a free printed copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom or read it online in html, pdf, or pdb.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Big Questions of Life
Do we ever really consider the big questions of life? We are often very busy in our daily activities to earn a living and provide for ourselves. In carrying out all the mundane activities of life, we may wonder if there is something more to life. We may wonder if we are missing out on something deeper as we see all the stars in the night sky and realize how vast the universe is. We may sense that there is more to life than just earning a living.
We may wonder if God really exists and if the Bible is the Word of God. Is the Bible the proper foundation of all knowledge? Why did God create human beings and place them on earth? Does God have a plan for dealing with human beings? What is the purpose of human life? If God is all loving and all powerful, why does he allow human suffering?
With all the problems in the world and all the nuclear arsenals of several nations and more nations developing nuclear weapons, can mankind survive? Or will a nuclear war and all of its related effects such as famine and disease destroy all human life from the face of the earth?
Is Jesus Christ the son of God? Did he come down to the earth from heaven to bring good news? If so, what is the good news that he preached?
Does God want a relationship with human beings? If so, why does God seem to hide himself? Does he call some people now to have a special relationship with him? Is Christianity just another religion, or is it a way of life?
What is the purpose of the church? Is it just a place for social activities and to receive help with personal issues? Or has God given the church a special mission?
What is the Holy Spirit? How can God's Holy Spirit empower us to overcome problems such as bad habits and addictions? Can it help us to lead a more rewarding and happy life?
Does God have special festivals that outline his plan for human beings in this life and beyond and to provide times for joyous celebrations? What happens us when we die? What happens to people who die who never heard of Jesus Christ?
The questions above are some of life's biggest questions. The answers to these questions are in the Bible. The Bible Study Course brings the Bible to life. It shows how the Bible is relevant to our lives and helps us to understand the answers to the big questions of life. It is from the publisher of the Good News Magazine.
This 12-lesson Bible Study course is available in printed form free of charge and without any obligation. The printed version will be mailed to you periodically one lesson at a time. Click the Bible Study Course to read it online in either html or pdf.
We may wonder if God really exists and if the Bible is the Word of God. Is the Bible the proper foundation of all knowledge? Why did God create human beings and place them on earth? Does God have a plan for dealing with human beings? What is the purpose of human life? If God is all loving and all powerful, why does he allow human suffering?
With all the problems in the world and all the nuclear arsenals of several nations and more nations developing nuclear weapons, can mankind survive? Or will a nuclear war and all of its related effects such as famine and disease destroy all human life from the face of the earth?
Is Jesus Christ the son of God? Did he come down to the earth from heaven to bring good news? If so, what is the good news that he preached?
Does God want a relationship with human beings? If so, why does God seem to hide himself? Does he call some people now to have a special relationship with him? Is Christianity just another religion, or is it a way of life?
What is the purpose of the church? Is it just a place for social activities and to receive help with personal issues? Or has God given the church a special mission?
What is the Holy Spirit? How can God's Holy Spirit empower us to overcome problems such as bad habits and addictions? Can it help us to lead a more rewarding and happy life?
Does God have special festivals that outline his plan for human beings in this life and beyond and to provide times for joyous celebrations? What happens us when we die? What happens to people who die who never heard of Jesus Christ?
The questions above are some of life's biggest questions. The answers to these questions are in the Bible. The Bible Study Course brings the Bible to life. It shows how the Bible is relevant to our lives and helps us to understand the answers to the big questions of life. It is from the publisher of the Good News Magazine.
This 12-lesson Bible Study course is available in printed form free of charge and without any obligation. The printed version will be mailed to you periodically one lesson at a time. Click the Bible Study Course to read it online in either html or pdf.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Be a Christian Maverick
His name was Samuel Augustus Maverick. He was born in Pendleton, South Carolina, on July 23, 1803. He was educated at home until he was 18 years old. He went to college at Yale and received his degree in 1825. He later studied law and obtained law licenses in Virginia and Texas. He practiced law and was active in politics. He lived in several states before moving to Texas and settling in San Antonio. He fled to Gonzales based on rumors of an impending Mexican invasion of San Antonio.
When Samuel Maverick returned to San Antonio, he left a small herd of cattle with caretakers on the Matagorda Peninsula. His herd was unbranded and allowed to wander. The term maverick came to mean an unbranded cow. Over time, the term maverick took on the additional meaning of an unbranded individual--someone whose style or activities are very different from those of the average person.
Te purpose of this post is to encourage you to be a Christian maverick unbranded by this world as we wait for the Kingdom of God.
Do Not Be Spotted with the Sins of the World
We are not to be branded as belonging to this world and its god Satan the Devil. Our religion must be pure. Here is how James defines pure religion n James 1:27:
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (KJV)
A part of keeping our religion pure is to visit orphans and widows and help them. Today, we will focus on the other aspect of pure religion--keeping ourselves unspotted from the world. The word unspotted means irreproachable.
The book of James illustrates how we must have works to demonstrate our faith. These works include not only exerting effort to perform acts of mercy, but they also include working on ourselves with the help of God’s Holy Spirit to build righteous character. To keep ourselves unspotted from the world, we must forsake its lusts that offer temporary pleasure but that leave behind the scars of its brand.
The apostle John also gave instructions on not loving the world. Here is what he wrote in I John 2:15-17:.
"15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (KJV)
The word love here is agapao, which, with respect to things, means to be well pleased or to be contented with things. If anyone is so contented with things and wrapped up in them, he does not have the agape love that comes from God.
We are to love the people in the world with compassion even as God so loved the world that he gave us his begotten son Jesus Christ so that those who believe in him may have eternal life (John 3:16). We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. The story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) shows that anyone in need with whom we come in contact is our neighbor.
While we are to love our neighbors, we are to avoid lusting for the things in the world. The word lust means a desire for something that is forbidden.
The Lust of the Flesh
The lust of the flesh includes a longing for things we could do with our bodies, but which God forbids. Therefore, lust includes all forms of illicit sexual activity, gluttony, and drunkenness.
Pleasing our physical bodies is not wrong if we do so in accordance with the law of God. However, living to eat or becoming drunk is wrong. The food or drink we consume is usually not a problem, but food or drink can become a problem if it consumes us. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own. We should glorify God in our bodies (I Corinthians 6:19).
The Lust of the Eyes
The lust of the eyes is the means through which beauty and riches can inflame us with unlawful passions that war against the lead of the Holy Spirit. Our physical eyes can covet people or things that are not lawful for us to have and our minds’ eyes begin to imagine that we already have them and the pleasure they would bring us. The lust of the eyes causes us to focus on the pleasures of sin for a season while ignoring the pain of its brand.
Having money and material possessions is not wrong as long as money and material possessions do not have us. Abraham is the father of the faithful, and he was a very wealthy man. Abraham kept the law of God. Abraham proved his willingness to obey God fully when he offered up Isaac as a sacrifice. Job was also a very wealthy man, but God allowed Satan to take away his wealth, his health, and his family. After Job repented and prayed for his friends, God gave him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
The apostle John in III John 2 wrote to Gaius that he wished that above all things that he prosper and be in health just as his soul prospered. John is not contradicting what he wrote in I John 2. Prospering financially in the same measure as our soul prospers is good. However, we cannot serve two masters—God and materialism (Matthew 6:24). We must seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
What we own is not as important as who owns us for we were bought with a great price—the precious blood of the Lamb. The size of the house in which we live is not as important as who lives in us--for it is Christ in us the hope of glory. We are to be good trustees of our money and material possessions for the purpose of serving God.
The Pride of Life
The third thing in the world that we are to avoid is the pride of life. The word pride means “empty, braggart talk” or “an insolent and empty assurance, which trusts in its own power and resources and shamefully despises and violates divine laws and human rights.” Satan’s heart was lifted up with pride when he turned to iniquity. We must not fall into Satan’s trap of pride and its philosophy of humanism. We must rely on God to meet our needs.
Renewing Our Minds
What are we to do to avoid loving the world and bearing its brand? Here is what the apostle Paul wrote about this subject in Romans 12:2: "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." (KJV)
The word renewing means a complete renovation. This renewal must continue after our initial conversion. Paul was writing to converted members of the Church of God in Rome. We are transformed to be different from the world from the inside out through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Merely having different customs from the world is not sufficient because we could fall into pride as did the Pharisees. We must change not only our actions, but also our motives. We prove what is good and right by being transformed from within and then living that way.
To avoid being conformed to the world we must change by renewing our minds. We should renew our minds daily by feeding on the spiritual food of God’s word. We prove what the perfect will of God is not just by an intellectual exercise but by applying God’s law in our lives.
Conclusion
How are we to renew our minds? Here is what the apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:16-18:
"16For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (KJV)
We must keep our eyes on God’s gift of eternal life and on our rewards in the Kingdom of God. We must forsake the lusts of the world and be filled with God’s Spirit. Our lifestyle and activities are to be very different from those of the average person in the world. Following the ways of the world can brand us with physical and emotional scars that can be very difficult, if not humanly impossible, to remove. If we confess our sins and repent, the shed blood of Jesus Christ can remove all of our sins so that we are not spiritually branded by them.
We walk through this world as strangers and pilgrims just as Samuel Maverick’s cattle roamed the pasture. As we walk through this world while seeking the Kingdom of God, we should strive not to be branded with the sins of this world. With God's help, each us should strive to be a Christian maverick as we struggle against the sin that so easily ensnares us. In the Kingdom of God, the saints will be made perfect by the grace of God. That is good news.
For more good news, please request your free subscription to the Good News Magazine.
You might also want to request a free printed copy of Transforming Your Life--The Process of Conversion or read it online in html, pdf, or pdb.
When Samuel Maverick returned to San Antonio, he left a small herd of cattle with caretakers on the Matagorda Peninsula. His herd was unbranded and allowed to wander. The term maverick came to mean an unbranded cow. Over time, the term maverick took on the additional meaning of an unbranded individual--someone whose style or activities are very different from those of the average person.
Te purpose of this post is to encourage you to be a Christian maverick unbranded by this world as we wait for the Kingdom of God.
Do Not Be Spotted with the Sins of the World
We are not to be branded as belonging to this world and its god Satan the Devil. Our religion must be pure. Here is how James defines pure religion n James 1:27:
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (KJV)
A part of keeping our religion pure is to visit orphans and widows and help them. Today, we will focus on the other aspect of pure religion--keeping ourselves unspotted from the world. The word unspotted means irreproachable.
The book of James illustrates how we must have works to demonstrate our faith. These works include not only exerting effort to perform acts of mercy, but they also include working on ourselves with the help of God’s Holy Spirit to build righteous character. To keep ourselves unspotted from the world, we must forsake its lusts that offer temporary pleasure but that leave behind the scars of its brand.
The apostle John also gave instructions on not loving the world. Here is what he wrote in I John 2:15-17:.
"15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (KJV)
The word love here is agapao, which, with respect to things, means to be well pleased or to be contented with things. If anyone is so contented with things and wrapped up in them, he does not have the agape love that comes from God.
We are to love the people in the world with compassion even as God so loved the world that he gave us his begotten son Jesus Christ so that those who believe in him may have eternal life (John 3:16). We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. The story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) shows that anyone in need with whom we come in contact is our neighbor.
While we are to love our neighbors, we are to avoid lusting for the things in the world. The word lust means a desire for something that is forbidden.
The Lust of the Flesh
The lust of the flesh includes a longing for things we could do with our bodies, but which God forbids. Therefore, lust includes all forms of illicit sexual activity, gluttony, and drunkenness.
Pleasing our physical bodies is not wrong if we do so in accordance with the law of God. However, living to eat or becoming drunk is wrong. The food or drink we consume is usually not a problem, but food or drink can become a problem if it consumes us. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own. We should glorify God in our bodies (I Corinthians 6:19).
The Lust of the Eyes
The lust of the eyes is the means through which beauty and riches can inflame us with unlawful passions that war against the lead of the Holy Spirit. Our physical eyes can covet people or things that are not lawful for us to have and our minds’ eyes begin to imagine that we already have them and the pleasure they would bring us. The lust of the eyes causes us to focus on the pleasures of sin for a season while ignoring the pain of its brand.
Having money and material possessions is not wrong as long as money and material possessions do not have us. Abraham is the father of the faithful, and he was a very wealthy man. Abraham kept the law of God. Abraham proved his willingness to obey God fully when he offered up Isaac as a sacrifice. Job was also a very wealthy man, but God allowed Satan to take away his wealth, his health, and his family. After Job repented and prayed for his friends, God gave him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
The apostle John in III John 2 wrote to Gaius that he wished that above all things that he prosper and be in health just as his soul prospered. John is not contradicting what he wrote in I John 2. Prospering financially in the same measure as our soul prospers is good. However, we cannot serve two masters—God and materialism (Matthew 6:24). We must seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
What we own is not as important as who owns us for we were bought with a great price—the precious blood of the Lamb. The size of the house in which we live is not as important as who lives in us--for it is Christ in us the hope of glory. We are to be good trustees of our money and material possessions for the purpose of serving God.
The Pride of Life
The third thing in the world that we are to avoid is the pride of life. The word pride means “empty, braggart talk” or “an insolent and empty assurance, which trusts in its own power and resources and shamefully despises and violates divine laws and human rights.” Satan’s heart was lifted up with pride when he turned to iniquity. We must not fall into Satan’s trap of pride and its philosophy of humanism. We must rely on God to meet our needs.
Renewing Our Minds
What are we to do to avoid loving the world and bearing its brand? Here is what the apostle Paul wrote about this subject in Romans 12:2: "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." (KJV)
The word renewing means a complete renovation. This renewal must continue after our initial conversion. Paul was writing to converted members of the Church of God in Rome. We are transformed to be different from the world from the inside out through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Merely having different customs from the world is not sufficient because we could fall into pride as did the Pharisees. We must change not only our actions, but also our motives. We prove what is good and right by being transformed from within and then living that way.
To avoid being conformed to the world we must change by renewing our minds. We should renew our minds daily by feeding on the spiritual food of God’s word. We prove what the perfect will of God is not just by an intellectual exercise but by applying God’s law in our lives.
Conclusion
How are we to renew our minds? Here is what the apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:16-18:
"16For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (KJV)
We must keep our eyes on God’s gift of eternal life and on our rewards in the Kingdom of God. We must forsake the lusts of the world and be filled with God’s Spirit. Our lifestyle and activities are to be very different from those of the average person in the world. Following the ways of the world can brand us with physical and emotional scars that can be very difficult, if not humanly impossible, to remove. If we confess our sins and repent, the shed blood of Jesus Christ can remove all of our sins so that we are not spiritually branded by them.
We walk through this world as strangers and pilgrims just as Samuel Maverick’s cattle roamed the pasture. As we walk through this world while seeking the Kingdom of God, we should strive not to be branded with the sins of this world. With God's help, each us should strive to be a Christian maverick as we struggle against the sin that so easily ensnares us. In the Kingdom of God, the saints will be made perfect by the grace of God. That is good news.
For more good news, please request your free subscription to the Good News Magazine.
You might also want to request a free printed copy of Transforming Your Life--The Process of Conversion or read it online in html, pdf, or pdb.
