Stop Following a Culture That Doesn’t Follow God

In Romans 12:2 I read, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

There are two verses in the Bible that are written by the same author but seem to send opposite messages:

1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them” (NIV). That’s pretty clear!

But John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world . . .” (NIV). Is there a contradiction here?

“The world” is used two ways in these verses. The first verse refers to the world’s value system, and the second refers to the world’s people. Followers of Jesus are to love people, no matter what choices they make. On the other hand, we should dislike the world’s value system, including things like status, selfishness, and sexual immorality.

The problem is that we often get it reversed. We love the value system and hate the people. Christians do this all the time. Instead of being different, we’re often just as materialistic and hedonistic as the culture we live in. But that’s backwards from how God calls us to live.

For the rest of your life, we'll face great pressure to conform to the culture. This was Israel’s biggest problem for thousands of years. They wanted to be like other nations. Yet God gave them all kinds of moral, civil, and ceremonial laws to make them different on purpose.

God has done the same for us. We don’t live under Old Testament Law, but God has told us exactly how we should live and how to get the wisdom and power to stand out in this world: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

One reason we may not know what God wants us to do in life is because we may be too assimilated to our culture. Often this happens without us realizing it. But we can’t think like the world and think like God thinks. We have to make a choice.

The problem with following culture is that it’s all temporary. We need to follow something that is eternal: God’s Word.

So, learn to fill your mind with God’s truth, and let it transform your life by changing what you love.

I am to not copy the behavior and customs of this world, which is selfish and corrupting. My refusal to conform must go even deeper than just behavior and customs, it must be firmly planted in values rooted in my mind. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, reeducates, and redirects my mind will I be truly transformed. 

How to Live in Light of Eternity

In 2 Peter 1:3 I read, “For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!” (TLB)

A vast majority of people pay no attention to eternity, including myself at times. They’re living for the here and now, which is a waste. What we have to keep in mind is that everything that’s “here and now” isn’t going to matter in five minutes, much less 50 years—and certainly not for eternity. 

In order to get a picture of scale, If we stretched a rope from California to Tokyo, and that represented all of eternity, life on Earth would be represented by less than one millimeter of that rope.

So how do we live in light of eternity? What I’m learning is that we live for God’s glory, because he’s going to share his glory with us in heaven.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:3, “For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!” (TLB).

We don’t get to choose what’s going to happen to us the rest of your life. But we do get to choose how we respond to it. 

I can face the future as a cynic, as a critic, as a pessimist, or as a doubter. I can face the future expecting the worst and experiencing the worst. I can face my future being ungracious to other people, and I can live for my own glory.

Or I can face the future with gratitude, generosity, and graciousness and live for God’s glory. 

Which one do you think will make us happier? Which one do you think will make us more successful? Which one do we think will bring a smile to God and rewards in heaven?

Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (ESV).

We were created because God wants a family. He wants to spend eternity with his family. He wants to spend eternity with you and me! Heaven is one of the main reasons I can have joy—God has given us eternal life, and living in heaven with him will be amazing!

In summary it is by his divine power that God has given me everything I need for living a godly life. The power to live a godly life doesn't come from within me, but rather from God. God allows me to "share his divine nature" in order to keep me from sin and help me live for him. In order for me to live in light of eternity, I need to live for God's glory. 

Creating a Firm Foundation

In Isaiah 54:10-12 I read, “The mountains may move, and the hills may shake, but my kindness will never depart from you. My promise of peace will never change . . . I will rebuild your city with precious stones. I will reset your foundations with sapphires. I will rebuild your towers with rubies.” (GW)

There is only one place in the Bible where the word “reset” is used. It’s found in Isaiah 54. The nation of Israel had lost a war to Babylon, where they were taken as captives and would remain for 70 years.

The Israelites were pretty discouraged—not just because they had lost but because their Holy City, Jerusalem, had been destroyed.

In the midst of all this, God did not want them to forget that he was still with them. He loved them, and he was going to rebuild—or reset—their lives. 

God says in Isaiah 54:10-12, “The mountains may move, and the hills may shake, but my kindness will never depart from you. My promise of peace will never change . . . I will rebuild your city with precious stones. I will reset your foundations with sapphires. I will rebuild your towers with rubies” (GW).

God was going to rebuild their city and their whole lives. But the foundation wouldn’t be made of clay or rock or cement. God said he would build Israel’s foundation with sapphires and rubies.

Why would God build a foundation with precious jewels? Because every other kind of foundation can rot or decay—but sapphires and rubies last forever. That’s why they’re so expensive!

God would build Israel’s foundation with the most precious things on Earth. That is how much he loved and cared for his people.

When Job was going through hard times, his friend said to him, “Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God. Put away evil and wrong from your home. Then face the world again, firm and courageous. Then all your troubles will fade from your memory, like floods that are past and remembered no more. Your life will be brighter than sunshine at noon, and life’s darkest hours will shine like the dawn. You will live secure and full of hope” (Job 11:13-18 GNT). 

If I need to make a big change in life, then I’m going to need a strong foundation. And I’m only going to find that foundation in God, who loves and cares for me.

So I need to get rid of the sin and junk in life that keeps me from focusing on God. Then I can live full of hope, moving forward with courage and shining brighter than the sun. 

Trust God’s Wisdom, Not My Feelings

In Proverbs 3:5-7 I read, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” (NLT)

Have you ever had the feeling that something was so very, very right, but then when you did it, it ended up being so very, very wrong?

If we are not careful our feelings aren’t always the truth! How can it be wrong when it feels so right? There are a lot of things that are wrong that feel so right at the moment. A quick decision that seemed harmless at the time leaves you broken and scarred years later.

If I want to experience fewer dead ends and failures in life, I need to hear what Proverbs 3:5-7 tells me: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (NLT).

If I really want God’s blessing for my life, I have to depend on God’s wisdom and not on what my feelings say or what my gut says. In other words, trust in the Lord and not on my own understanding.

So how do I get God’s wisdom? What I’m finding is that I should pray. Talk to God, and let him talk to me as I read the His Word. That’s how to get his wisdom.

The Bible says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (NIV).

God doesn’t want me to make foolish mistakes. He wants me to succeed. He wants me to make wise decisions with my time, money, and relationships.

The truth is, I’m not waiting on God for his help; he’s waiting on me! It’s like he’s saying, “Hey! I’m here. I’ll give you wisdom, and I’ll give it generously. I want to make you wise. You’ve just got to ask.”

So for me to be blessed, I’ve got to get God’s wisdom. And if I want God’s wisdom, I need to ask for it—and then be open to receive it.

When important decisions come my way, it's hard to trust anyone and sometimes even God. But God knows what is best for me. He is a much better judge of what I want than even myself. I must learn to trust him completely in every choice I make. I should not omit careful thinking or belittle my God-given ability to reason; but I should not just trust in my own ideas to the exclusion of all others. I must not be wise in my own eyes. I should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God's Word and wise counselors. I need to learn to bring my decisions to God in prayer; use the Bible as my guide; and then follow God's lead. He will direct my paths by both guiding and protecting me. 

To receive God's guidance, I must seek God's will in all I do. This means turning every area of life over to him. I need to examine my values and priorities. What is important to me? Where does God fall in this list? In what areas have I failed to acknowledge him? It's the areas where I attempt to restrict or ignore his influence that will cause me grief. I need to make him a vital part of everything I do; then he will guide me because I'll be working to accomplish his purposes.

In summary, I need to learn to trust in the Lord with all my heart. Never rely on what I think I know. Remember to include the Lord in everything I do, then he will show me the right way to go. I should never think more highly of myself than I should. Simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong. After all, God knows what is best for me. I must learn to trust him completely in everything. I need to be willing to listen to and be corrected by God's Word and wise counselors. Bring decisions to God in prayer, use His Word as a guide and follow His leading. To receive His guidance all I need to do is to turn every area of my life over to him and seek his will in what I do.