Do Not Act Like the World
TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement
Verse of the Day - Rom 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Daily Scripture Reading - Ephesians 2
Puritan Catechism
Question #30 - What is effectual calling?
Answer - Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit (2 Tim. 1:9) whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery (Acts 2:37), enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ (Acts 26:18), and renewing our wills (Ezek. 36:26), he does persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel ( Jn. 6:44-45).
Confessing Our Faith
A daily reading from The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689, (as amended by Charles Spurgeon).
Chapter 2 – God and the Holy Trinity
Devotional Thoughts
We have seen in these last few devotionals that as disciples of Jesus Christ we are to be being conformed into His image. We are supposed to look like Him. In order to do that we have to start with the heart and the mind. We cannot think like the world. We cannot have worldy attitudes, thoughts, or desires! Just the same, what we think comes out of our mouths so if we are thinking as we should then we will also be talking as we should. In fact, some think we can be pure in our minds and hearts and still talk like the world, but in reality it is our mouth that tells the truth about our hearts! There is NO excuse for Christians who use profane and vulgar speech. For them to do so is to deny the Lord who bought them and truly is to take His name in vain.
In our daily life it is important too that we look like Jesus. Do not act like the world! The world is obsessed with self and with sin. The Church, the bride of Christ cannot and will not be chasing after the world. Did you hear that? The TRUE church will not chase after the world, lusting and yearning for sinful pleasure and self-fulfillment. The TRUE church seeks what John the Baptist described - that they might decrease and Christ increase. The world around us does not need to see itself in our lives. It needs to see more and more of Jesus.
The Bible commands us, telling us that we are not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We also hear Jesus tell us that He is the light of the world and Paul in Ephesians 5 tells us that we were once darkness but now we are light. We have been transformed. And as we ARE now light we must walk in the light. Listen to the Word of God:
We are expected and commanded to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. As Peter wrote to us in 1 Peter 4:3-5:
We have spent (wasted)enough time already walking in the lust of our flesh. Why keep doing so? We will give an account to God and we are expected to follow Jesus. Following Jesus does not mean we claim to be His and to love Him all the while doing whatever WE want. HE is Lord. We are not. HE has bought us. We are His. And to claim to be His and to love Him is to obey Him (1 John 2:3-5; 5:3)!!
All that this world has to offer is passing away. It leads to destruction. It builds up self and destroys faith. Why would we even want to be like the world? Well the sad truth is that we are still sinners. Though saved by grace we do fight the flesh every day. That war, that epic battle is one we will fight until we die or Jesus returns. Okay. We know and accept that. What next?
Next we must make up our minds, and speak with our mouths the truth that we belong to Jesus and will follow Him no matter the cost. In fact, we learn that denying the flesh is the only way to be truly satisfied. When we hunger and thirst after righteousness (being right with God) then Jesus Himself promised we would be completely satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
We think that the world offers satisfaction, but how often do you sin and then think, "Wow! I am so satisfied. I think I will never want to do that again!" No. When we sin, if we are His, then the Spirit convicts us and we detest what we have done and want to never do it again not because of any satisfaction it brought us but because we despise our weak and sinful flesh. Sin never satisfies. It may give us a temporary sense of fulfillment but ultimately when we live to sin we are driven to sin more and more to find any semblence of this temporary and cheap fulfillment.
The temptation to sin always tugs at our flesh. It always over promises and under delivers. But Jesus can and will satisfy us. He is the light. The living water. When you drink of Him you will not ever thirst again! If we act like the world we are denying His Word. We are falling for a cheap counterfeit. We are settling for less than the best and will always come out worse rather than better.
Don't worry if the world hates you and thinks you are weird. Don't fear man more than God. Don't buy the lie that you have to please others in order to find fulfillment. The only person you HAVE to please is GOD and you can only do that by faith in His Son.
Don't waste your time today trying to fit in where you don't belong. We are not of this world (John 15:19; John 17:14, 16). Don't deny your Savior by acting like those who hate Him. Don't act like the world!
Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)
Recovering a Right View of Self by Pastor Way
A Solemn Deprival by Charles Spurgeon
Bible Reading For Further Study
Recommended Songs for Worship
Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement
Verse of the Day - Rom 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Daily Scripture Reading - Ephesians 2
Puritan Catechism
Question #30 - What is effectual calling?
Answer - Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit (2 Tim. 1:9) whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery (Acts 2:37), enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ (Acts 26:18), and renewing our wills (Ezek. 36:26), he does persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel ( Jn. 6:44-45).
Confessing Our Faith
A daily reading from The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689, (as amended by Charles Spurgeon).
Chapter 2 – God and the Holy Trinity
Devotional Thoughts
We have seen in these last few devotionals that as disciples of Jesus Christ we are to be being conformed into His image. We are supposed to look like Him. In order to do that we have to start with the heart and the mind. We cannot think like the world. We cannot have worldy attitudes, thoughts, or desires! Just the same, what we think comes out of our mouths so if we are thinking as we should then we will also be talking as we should. In fact, some think we can be pure in our minds and hearts and still talk like the world, but in reality it is our mouth that tells the truth about our hearts! There is NO excuse for Christians who use profane and vulgar speech. For them to do so is to deny the Lord who bought them and truly is to take His name in vain.
In our daily life it is important too that we look like Jesus. Do not act like the world! The world is obsessed with self and with sin. The Church, the bride of Christ cannot and will not be chasing after the world. Did you hear that? The TRUE church will not chase after the world, lusting and yearning for sinful pleasure and self-fulfillment. The TRUE church seeks what John the Baptist described - that they might decrease and Christ increase. The world around us does not need to see itself in our lives. It needs to see more and more of Jesus.
The Bible commands us, telling us that we are not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We also hear Jesus tell us that He is the light of the world and Paul in Ephesians 5 tells us that we were once darkness but now we are light. We have been transformed. And as we ARE now light we must walk in the light. Listen to the Word of God:
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
We are expected and commanded to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. As Peter wrote to us in 1 Peter 4:3-5:
For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
We have spent (wasted)enough time already walking in the lust of our flesh. Why keep doing so? We will give an account to God and we are expected to follow Jesus. Following Jesus does not mean we claim to be His and to love Him all the while doing whatever WE want. HE is Lord. We are not. HE has bought us. We are His. And to claim to be His and to love Him is to obey Him (1 John 2:3-5; 5:3)!!
All that this world has to offer is passing away. It leads to destruction. It builds up self and destroys faith. Why would we even want to be like the world? Well the sad truth is that we are still sinners. Though saved by grace we do fight the flesh every day. That war, that epic battle is one we will fight until we die or Jesus returns. Okay. We know and accept that. What next?
Next we must make up our minds, and speak with our mouths the truth that we belong to Jesus and will follow Him no matter the cost. In fact, we learn that denying the flesh is the only way to be truly satisfied. When we hunger and thirst after righteousness (being right with God) then Jesus Himself promised we would be completely satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
We think that the world offers satisfaction, but how often do you sin and then think, "Wow! I am so satisfied. I think I will never want to do that again!" No. When we sin, if we are His, then the Spirit convicts us and we detest what we have done and want to never do it again not because of any satisfaction it brought us but because we despise our weak and sinful flesh. Sin never satisfies. It may give us a temporary sense of fulfillment but ultimately when we live to sin we are driven to sin more and more to find any semblence of this temporary and cheap fulfillment.
The temptation to sin always tugs at our flesh. It always over promises and under delivers. But Jesus can and will satisfy us. He is the light. The living water. When you drink of Him you will not ever thirst again! If we act like the world we are denying His Word. We are falling for a cheap counterfeit. We are settling for less than the best and will always come out worse rather than better.
Don't worry if the world hates you and thinks you are weird. Don't fear man more than God. Don't buy the lie that you have to please others in order to find fulfillment. The only person you HAVE to please is GOD and you can only do that by faith in His Son.
Don't waste your time today trying to fit in where you don't belong. We are not of this world (John 15:19; John 17:14, 16). Don't deny your Savior by acting like those who hate Him. Don't act like the world!
Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)
Recovering a Right View of Self by Pastor Way
A Solemn Deprival by Charles Spurgeon
Bible Reading For Further Study
Recommended Songs for Worship
posted by Phillip M. Way | 12:00 AM
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