Thinking Differently

When I pastored in Manassas, I had a wedding on a Saturday at 2:00 pm.  All of us were there except for the bride and groom and the parents.  At 2:15 pm, I asked the organist to keep playing.  At 2:30 pm, I went back and asked the organist to continue.  She said she had already played all her music but would repeat it all.  Within the next few minutes the bridal party showed up.  They weren’t in any particular hurry and no one seemed to be in a rush. The wedding started at about 2:50 pm. I learned that day that my idea of “being on time” was in my mind and not everyone’s. I have a friend who says if he’s not ten minutes early, he’s late!  I guess this is not shared by everyone!

All of us are shaped by how we are raised and what our culture expects. Paul calls this cultural force the “world” in Romans 12:2. Here the word “world” refers to the ways of thinking that make up our existence.  It refers to the unquestioned assumptions and guiding ideals handed to us simply because we live in a particular place and time.

Paul tells us to “not conform to the pattern of this world.”  Instead we must be “transformed by the renewing of our mind.” (Vs. 2) We are called to actively pursue God’s way of thinking and to learn how to understand His “good, pleasing and perfect will”. (Vs. 2) We are called to follow God and not the many voices we are subject to in this world. The transformation of our lives often includes a change in the way we think.

Prayer – God, I often don’t recognize the world I live in.  Help me to be “transformed by the renewing of my mind”.  Help me to live out Your truth and Your mind in it all! Amen.

Romans 12:2 – Do not conform to the pattern of this world.

Author: Tommy Herndon