Don’t let the world around you press you into its mould…

Give God first place in your life…

Romans 12:1-2
J.B. Phillips New Testament

We have seen God’s mercy and wisdom: how shall we respond?

1-2 With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.

Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
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Living Sacrifice – In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the “job” of the sacrificial lamb was ended with its death.

An individual or household selected an animal according to the dictated forms, and it was sacrificed to cover sins.

Since Christ became the final atonement for sin, we no longer need the old system.

But Paul is calling believers to consider their whole life as a sacrifice dedicated to God and His purposes, a “living” sacrifice, both holy and single-minded.

Page after page of the Bible proclaims the amazing things that God has done for us.

So how should we respond to these blessings—or “mercies,” as Paul calls them?

The only appropriate response is to give ourselves to God as living sacrifices, ready to be offered up for His purposes however He sees fit.

Walking in the Spirit—Confession of sin in itself is not enough to enable the believer to automatically walk in the Spirit.

He or she must learn to yield their whole self to God (Rom. 6:13; James 4:7).

This involves both the body (Rom. 12:1; 1 Cor. 6:20) and the mind (Rom. 12:2), since what is conceived in the mind is carried out by the body.

One’s whole being must be presented by a decisive act of the will to God for His service.

Yielding leads not only to dedication but also can result in separation:

“do not be conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2).

Finally, yielding includes transformation of the mind.

This work is said to be accomplished through a lifetime of “renewing” the mind.

Man’s mind has been darkened by sin (8:7; Col. 1:21) and must be brought to the place where it thinks as God thinks (Eph. 4:23).

This renewing is said to come especially through prayer in everything (Phil. 4:6–7) and through constant meditation on the Word of God (Ps. 119:1).

This transformation is a lifelong process that will not be completed until we are with Christ (Phil. 1:6; 1 John 3:2).

While Scripture outlines multiple ways we can serve God, three stand out as major mandates:

The Great Creation Mandate concerns the universe and its intricate richness. God made the world and appointed human beings as its managers (Gen. 1:26–31; 2:15).

The creation mandate calls us to join Him in developing the natural order of the earth for the benefit of all people (see “People at Work” at Ps. 8:6).

Creation now suffers under a curse (Gen. 3:17–19), but God will eventually deliver it from corruption (Rom. 8:18–22).

In the meantime, we are to use it responsibly for His glory.

The Great Commandment Mandate sums up all of our relationships.

We are commanded to love God with every part of our being (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37, 38).

Christians have even more reason to love and serve the Lord because of our exalted position as His adopted children (Rom. 8:12–17).

But our love for God is empty if we neglect to love others (Matt. 22:39, 40; Rom. 13:8–10; 1 John 4:7–11).

The Great Commission Mandate is an extension of the truth that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).

Those who believe in Christ have been charged with spreading this truth to all human beings, so that all people can recognize their sin and respond to God’s gracious offer of forgiveness and new life (Matt. 28:18–20; Rom. 10:14, 15).

These three mandates recur as dominant themes throughout the Bible.

They tell us that God cherishes His creation and intends it to be managed well.

He wants people to love Him and love each other.

And He longs for everyone to know of Christ’s work of salvation.

Each of these mandates is an invitation to faith and service.

We have been invited to be good stewards of the earth and its resources, good neighbors toward all peoples, and good communicators of the gospel.

This renewing of our mind is said to come especially through prayer in everything (Phil. 4:6–7) and through constant meditation on the Word of God (Ps. 119:1).

This transformation is a lifelong process that will not be completed until we are with Christ (Phil. 1:6; 1 John 3:2).

What particular sin stalks you?

When does it seize you with temptation?

As a safeguard, memorize Romans 12:1, 2.

Whenever you feel tempted, repeat these verses in your mind and by God’s power plan not to sin.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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The Spirit Filled Believer
by Dick Mills

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL

“Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you…”
— Romans 12:2 (Phillips)

The ancient Greek had two special words to describe a thing or a person.

The words are schema (skhay’-mah) and morphe (mor-fay’).

We can relate easily to these words because of English derivations.

Schema becomes scheme in English.

Morphe is recognized in the word metamorphosis, used to describe the change of a larva into a butterfly or a polliwog (tadpole) into a frog.

Schema has to do with externals – outward appearance, shell, visible form or fashion, something molded into a certain shape or fixture.

The “scheme of things” thus refers to the visible pattern of things.

Morphe has to with internals – the inner nature of a thing, situation, or person.

In Christians, it points to their character, integrity, and basic decency because of the presence of the Christ-nature within them.

Schema can be transient and morphe can be quite permanent.

When Paul says in the King James Version, “…Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed…” the first verb is derived from schema, the second from morphe.

J.B. Phillips translates this verse with a touch of elegant humor:

Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-make you….

The whole world system is transient, not permanent.

It is unreal, since God’s kingdom is the only ultimate reality.

According to this word from the Lord, we do not need to lose a lot of sleep worrying about how the world looks to us or at us!

Source: The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Daily Devotional by Dick Mills
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Be still & know Him
Psalm 46:10