Romans 12: 2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
I heard the Father saying in my head to do today’s Word of the Day on Romans 12: 2. I responded, “Dad, I know what that verse says. I have written on it several times and I don’t have anything to say about it.” None the less, I went and read it again. It’s what you do when Yahweh speaks. And guess what, I do hear something to convey. He said, I want people to know my will and here is one of the ways I have taught you to know my will. Good point.
I usually think of this verse as “the” transformation verse. Of course, it is also about non-conformity with the world. I don’t meditate enough, apparently, on the proving His will part, but there it is, as plain as you like. Sure, the first direction is to avoid conforming to the ways of the world. Second, we accomplish that through transformation. Third, transformation is achieved through the renewal of our minds. By now we also know that the renewal of our minds comes through the Word. There is a fourth part, through transformation, you will know and prove the perfect will of God. How, though, how are we to prove the will of God in our lives?
The answer is that it is in this transformation process. As we renew our minds with the Word of God, we flush out the perfect will of God. We begin to see a pattern emerge in His Word. Additionally, the transformation of ourselves makes us more sensitive to the Kingdom of God around us. We become more sensitive to God’s voice within us and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We become tuned into our own spirits so that we perceive spiritual concepts, some of which come so naturally to us that we wonder why we didn’t see them before.
As long as we conform to the ways of the world, we are going to miss out on the perfect will of God for our lives. That is a huge statement. Conformity to the world subtracts from our lives. People often speculate what they will have to give up to become a Christian. They ought to be asking, what am I forsaking by living without Christ as my Lord. We Christians should ask ourselves a similar question, what do we forego by living in conformity to the world. Are we allowing ourselves to be transformed or do our lives pretty much look like the lives of our unsaved friends? What makes us any different from them apart from Sunday and Easter? Do we behave in similar ways? Do we have the same values? Do we solve problems the same way? Do we rely on our intellect or on our Father? Are we any more guided by God’s spirit than they? Here is the way I want to ask the question, and I hope it makes sense, “Is the fabric of our lives substantially different from an unsaved person?” It’s not a matter of going to church or even reading a daily devotional. It really is all about this personal, intimate relationship with the Father that comes through the transformation process. It is a management issue. How do you manage each minute of your day? Is it as a member of a partnership with God or are you a sole proprietor making all the decisions and bearing all of the responsibility?
God wants to wash your mind with His Word so that He can, with you, show His perfect will in and through your life. He wants people to know that you have a God of power and blessing who is constantly at work in your life. He wants to demonstrate His glory through proving His perfect will in you. You are His masterpiece but He has not completed the painting. His will is to finish His grand work by adding more color and glory to your life. Here is the rub, though. It comes through transformation. It is arrived at through non-conformity with the world. You are unique and rare and it is His will to show you off and to show off His glory on you.
Be transformed. Renew your mind and allow the good, acceptable and glorious will of the Lord be seen in you.