Dear ones, I promised you a post about a certain topic GOD has been really lying on my heart lately. Currently, I am living in a city that often time seems to be completely Godless. Here recreational drug use is accepted as the norm, so called “everyday girls” go shopping wearing less clothing than Julia Roberts wore streetwalking in Pretty Woman, and homosexuality is so rampant that there is an entire section of the beach dedicated to them and their lifestyle. Trying to follow the straight and narrow in such an environment is extremely difficult. Often, I feel as though I am exiled in Babylon, but unlike the Biblical heroes, I have not been completely successful at keeping myself undefiled in such an environment.
Over the past year and a half, I have allowed everything I see around me to steep into my way of thinking. Not having strong Christian friendships makes staying grounded all the harder. I find myself justifying things that the scripture clearly states are sin. Then I start to find conflict between myself and GOD. I have wanted to believe that since the Bible was written so long ago, it cannot possibly apply to modern life in every application. The past few weeks I have been strongly convicted on these grounds (when GOD sends you two sermons –from different preachers- and countless Bible studies on a topic, you had better be paying attention).
It all started with a sermon at the church I’ve been attending. There we are doing a verse-by-verse study of Ephesians.
I pray that the God of our LORD Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. {Ephesians 1:17}
In this passage, after having just told the Ephesians how grateful he is for their faith and love, Paul tells them that he prays specifically for their perspective. Faith and love are essential to our Christian walk, but without a proper view of the world-GOD’s view-we cannot effectively put them to use. Our perspective shapes who we are and we should take great care to ensure that we are shaped by GOD, not our culture.
Then this verse cropped up in my morning study.
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. {Romans 12:2}
Next was a sermon by Dr. Ronnie Floyd, entitled “What is God Doing in My Life.” Although there were several strong revelations in this sermon based out of 1 Corinthians 2:6-14, the final teaching lent itself to the topic of perspective.
Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order to know what has been freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. {1 Corinthians 2:12-13}
I am going to paraphrase Pastor Floyds thoughts here…Today, the Spirit teaches and convicts through the word of God-our Bible. The Bible is what GOD thinks all the time about everything. It is our ultimate authority. Reading it and studying it and knowing it is our only way to form a GODLY perspective (wisdom).
For the past week I have been seeking and asking GOD what all of this looks like in my life. I do not want to be so heavenly minded as to be no earthly good, but I do want to have a GODLY perspective of the world around me. This morning a verse in my Romans study just popped out at me.
Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. {Romans 12:9}
Really, it is a simple as that. I must allow GOD to love Miami through me, while keeping my focus on HIM and HIS definition of good. It is somewhat of a tightrope walk, but GOD is the one doing the walking, I am simply along for the ride.
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” {Matthew 22:36-40}
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