Romans 12:2 (NASV)
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.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer 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.
Our minds are constantly being conformed to accept the world view of the society around us. We wonder why we have an epidemic of mistreatment between youth, even to the extent of bullying. Yet, for the past two to three decades we have had a constant stream of sit-com television where "put-down-banter" running non-stop in front of our youth. It is any wonder they put down and tease their peers? Our minds are under attack. We are being taught to get even and not show mercy through constant bombardment of shows, movies, books and video games. No video game would even sell where the shooter turned the other check, as suggested in Romans 12. No TV show would be watched with instead of vengeance the victim offered a cup of water. We are supposed to be in the business, as Believers, to "renew" our minds. I like what Vine says about this word "renew":
VINE: “the renewing (of your mind),” i. e., the adjustment of the moral and spiritual vision and thinking to the mind of God, which is designed to have a transforming effect upon the life;
We are to be making "adjustments" in our thinking to transform and conform out mind to think like God. The problem with believers is that we have constant shaping of our mind, unwillingly and often unknowingly, to the mind of this world. We attempt to solve our problems via the world's mind. We seek to construct our lives via the world's mind. Instead, through faith, we are to shape our mind into the mind of God. That will enable us to "prove" what is "acceptable". The Christian walk begins with the Christian mind. We can't forget that. We can't expect to walk differently if we don't think differently. Note the next verse in this context:
Romans 12:3
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Unless you have the "mind of God" you will fall into trap of having you on your mind and, like the world, exalting yourself rather than God. So, what is on your mind?
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