Why Do I Write These Devotionals?

I often think about Romans 12:2. It was the scripture I preached on my last Sunday in Sumrall. It was the focus of a Bible study I did recently with Eastlawn’s youth. For my money, it’s a verse that Christians ought to memorize and remind themselves of throughout the day, every day. 

The verse begins: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 

Now, that outlook can quickly lead to an us-versus-them, believers and the church are good, the rest of the world is bad, sort of attitude. But when Paul says “the world,” I don’t think he means anyone and anything outside the holy huddle of the church. The world outside the walls of the church is filled to the brim with beautiful people, ideas, and undertakings. And within the walls of the church you will regularly bump into “the world” that Paul warns about. 

“The world” that we have to resist conforming to is any influence that stirs up in you “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) or encourages the “acts of the flesh”–things like sexual immorality, hatred, quarreling, fits of rage, envy (Gal 5:19-21). You can meet the world while scrolling Facebook or Instagram, binging Netflix, watching cable news, or going to Sunday school. The truth is, everything’s infected by sin to some extent, and so anything can have a negative influence at times. 

For that reason, the surest path to resisting conformity and experiencing transformation isn’t to avoid any and every negative influence. Good luck with that! The surest path is to arrange your life—your schedule, your priorities—so that you position yourself for transformation. In other words, make plans to position yourself for encounters with God’s Holy Spirit. 

Sure, there are voices and crowds and activities and entertainment choices that you’ll want to avoid entirely. There’s plenty of good ole’ fashioned depravity out there. And there are gray areas where some Christians may be able to participate in ways that are still faithful, but others of us may need to opt out. 

But the most powerful antidote to conformity—and the real goal here!—is transformation. 

And transformation, typically, comes slowly, through regular exposure to the Holy Spirit.

That means prayer and scripture reading. That means fasting and serving. That means wise counsel, insightful teachers, and rich fellowship. Music, time in nature, time with grandkids, therapy, 12-step programs: the list could go on and on. Anywhere that you have sensed God’s presence or felt God working in your life, those are the kinds of Holy Spirit encounters that we need to position ourselves for, that we need to plan, schedule, and prioritize. Because transformation doesn’t come by accident. It comes when God’s people are intentional about encountering the Lord. 

And that’s why I write these devotionals. We may intentionally seek God for an hour or two on Sunday morning, but by Sunday night we’ve already spent more time than that in front of the TV or on our phones. We have more opportunity for conformity in our lives than for transformation. So, in the middle of the week, I try to help position you for an encounter with the Holy Spirit. 

But what are you doing on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday? 

How are you planning, scheduling, and prioritizing transformation?