May 1st, 2025
2 Do not conform 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.
The burning question of almost every Christian has always been in trying to decipher God's will. For many, the will of God feels like this mystery that is kept hidden or a secret that only God knows and is willfully concealing from us. While it may appear to be this way, the Lord has never intended to confuse us about His plans nor has He purposed to withhold His thoughts from us. In fact, the Bible is evidence enough that He has spoken directly to us and provided a way by which we can discern His will for our every day life decisions.
First, we must accept this one fact deep in the caverns of our soul and embed it firmly within our minds. The Lord our God is a gracious father who tenderly yet wisely shepherds His children for His name's sake and our own good. He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). Moreover, every good and perfect gift comes directly from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17). Therefore, although life may feel the complete opposite at certain moments, we must believe by faith with everything that we are that the Lord is always good. This one truth should set our hearts at ease and allow us to begin the process of trusting in the sovereign plans the Lord has for us.
Paul writes in Romans chapter 12 that discerning or testing God's will for us is somehow connected to how little or how much we are conformed to the pattern of this world. You might be thinking that these two things are very different and even unrelated subjects. However, if we process Paul's line of reasoning, we can see a clear link between the two. We who live in this world, have to somehow make worldly decisions in the most godly and biblical way, or risk failure. Almost all the prayers of guidance we pray have to do with something in our world. We pray for what job position we might take. We ask if it is the right time for our family to be moving. We wonder if this person is the right person for us to marry. We have questions about these big and even smaller life decisions that have some kind of impact on our future in this world. And although we pray and seek God, our normal temptation is to make decisions based on what we see in the people and world around us.
Therefore, Paul points us straight to the wisdom of God for our own dilemma. He commands us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This means we have to actively reject the way this world has trained us to think and submit ourselves to the schooling and instruction of the Bible. The world teaches us to make life decisions that make us richer, that cater to our self-pleasure and selfish desires. The world calls us to put ourselves first before anyone else and even before the Lord. How can we follow their pattern? How can we model our lives after "successful" people who do not love God?
The reminder today is that the godly decision may not ever look like the worldly decision. It may be more convenient to change homes but is it wise? It may be more lucrative to take that job but is it costing you something else? You may feel it is best to move forward with a decision, but is it the right time? The Lord shepherds us in ways that are far beyond our own comprehension. Often we ask Him why He is leading us down one path while everyone else is taking another. Or, why the very thing we've been praying for is taking so long. It is in these moments that we must recite what we know to be true. We must trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding. In all our ways we must acknowledge Him, and we know ultimately, he will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).