Conformed or Transformed?

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

 ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

 ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

-Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

Yesterday, we talked about sin, and specifically the sin of rejecting Jesus. We looked at the time coming when we will all stand before God and be divided into those who have accepted Jesus and those who didn't. Today, I want to make it a little more personal. I really think that when we all stand before God, many of us will be surprised at what line we are in. There are many people that I've come in contact with that claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, yet continue living life as they want to live it. Is that what God had in mind when He sent Jesus to die for your sins and mine? 

Jesus said, in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." There are a lot of people, I believe, that cries out "Lord, Lord" and does not do the will of God. It is vital to our Christian lives to know what the will of God is. That is lacking in many people's lives today. More often than not, we're not hearing about doing the will of God any more. Too often we hear things like, "well, we're just sinners saved by grace," or "I'm not perfect, I'm just doing what comes natural to me." Friends, these theologies are totally wrong if you're using it to make an excuse as to why you're not doing the will of God in your life. How can you know God's will? Let's explore.

Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2, "¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ²And 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)" Paul is begging his readers to offer themselves as a living sacrifice to God. This means that you sacrifice your wants and desires and do the wants and desire of God in your life. But to do that, something must happen. You must have a change of mind. Paul writes, in verse 2, "but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." When you've given your life to Christ, you must yield all parts to Him, including your mind. With your mind, you dictate what you will do in life. With your mind, you decide if each day is going to be a good day or a bad day. Your mind controls all parts of your life. If you don't allow your mind to be transformed from thinking and seeing things through the world's perspective, to thinking and seeing things through God's perspective, you will never, ever, find and do the will of God. Paul writes in Colossians 3:2, "Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. (HCSB)" If we set our minds on the things of God (on what is above), our minds will be transformed and renewed. If your mind is set on the things below (on the earth), you'll constantly be conformed (or be like) the world. What is the benefit of that renewed mind? The rest of Romans 12:2 says, "that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." You can't prove what the will of God is for your life if your mind is still conformed to the things of this world. It can't be done, believe me, I've tried it. Look at how Paul describes the will of God. "good, acceptable, perfect." I like the sound of those words. The will of God leads to a life that is good, acceptable and perfect. 

Tomorrow, we'll dig deeper into the will of God. For now, though, have you allowed the Holy Spirit to transform your mind? Do you constantly focus on the things of the world? Or do you focus on the things above? Think About It.