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In Romans 12:2, the bible asks us… tells us not to be conformed to to the pattern of this world. What does that mean? What is ist about the world that we must not conform to… its culture? Is it the way the world eats, drinks, dresses, thinks, entertains, fights, loves, hates, votes, sleeps, spends, invests, dances, sings, has sex, uses drugs, etc.,etc.,etc.? Well Yes, but it goes deeper than that.2 Corinthians 5:16-17 says we Christians are not to take a worldly view of things because we are new creations! The old has gone and the new has come. Where did the old go? And what's new? Let's take a look and see what it is not:
- It's not a new bank account - you'll still owe!
- It's not a new waistline - you'll still be too thick or thin!
- It's not a new hairline - you'll still be bald or balding!
- It's not a new time line - you'll still be aging or old!
- It's not a new clothesline - well, we will be clothed with Christ. But that's invisible!
- It could be a new punchline - where you are the butt of the joke!
When I first became a Christian, I believed myself to be a pretty good guy. Now I know I wasn't perfect but hey... there were a lot worse than me in the world. At the time of my conversion, it was not acceptable for a Christian to drink so I didn't. However this did not mean that I had dealt with the addict in me. What I was doing, in reality, was people pleasing on a grand scale. I had lots of new friends, I was someone who was "talented" and could be moulded to be a leader.I loved al the attention! Having been pretty much of a loner when i was using. My idea of a really good time was getting incredibly high and watching movies. To this day there are many movies that i have never seen "straight". However I was now becoming a someone with responsibilities no less. I had to protect this at any cost.
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I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. 1Corinthians 1:19 Nothing is worse than thinking you know something when you know nothing! Except, when you start espousing what you think you know to uninformed listeners! Then, it's downright sinful!
Every so often, a passenger gets on my bus and asks for directions to some destination along my route. I proceed to give them accurate directions only to have them shot down by someone else on the bus. With much confidence and aplomb, this person then redirects the person to the wrong place! Having already said my piece, I'm no longer in the loop of this sincere, mis-directed lalapalooza. At this point others are nodding and chiming in with their own pearls of wisdom- all wrong- but very sincere.
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