Today’s verse outlines the commitment and steps necessary in developing a godly lifestyle. Paul was urgently warning believers not to be conformed to the patterns of the world. Our susceptibility to compromise is one of the greatest dangers in the church today.
Through ungodly relationships and the impact of media, we’re being influenced by people who are not following God’s ways. Our society tells us to put self first, take what we want, protect our rights, and promote our own interests above others’. In contrast, Jesus said that our heavenly Father will provide what we truly need (Phil. 4:19), we are to deny ourselves and follow Him (Luke 9:23), and the humble—not the proud—shall receive honor (James 4:10). Conformity to the world’s ideals will lead us away from God.
At the same time, Paul urged us to pursue godly transformation of our mind, to set our thoughts on things above (Col. 3:2) and to focus on what is true, right, pure, and lovely (Phil. 4:8). Adopting a Christian worldview will lead to Christlike actions. It requires making adjustments in how we look at life, until our thoughts line up with Scripture. We must also protect our mind with biblical truth and surround ourselves with mature believers who can warn us when we start to stray.
Ask yourself, Am I focusing on what is important to the Lord? Avoiding compromise? Making a conscious effort to adhere to biblical truth? Demonstrating a pattern of godly transformation? Let the Holy Spirit empower you to make the changes necessary to be more like Christ.
From time to time, undeserved criticism is the lot of every Christian. On occasion, it comes when we offer our best to the Lord and our good intentions are misunderstood or even ridiculed by those who should know better. Such an event is described in today’s Scripture reading.
The passage describes a woman who took a bottle of precious perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head as He reclined at the table. There is no record of any great results coming from this loving gesture. No lives were saved, no converts were made, and nothing measurable was obtained. Worse still, the woman was scolded for her actions. Her efforts were viewed as extravagant, unreasonable, and irresponsible. Jesus, however, thought otherwise. The Lord’s commendation for this woman’s loving sacrifice was astonishing. In His mind, it deserved to be memorialized—He said, “What she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13 NIV).
We sometimes wonder how much God is noticing our efforts to please Him. At times some of our greatest sacrifices seem to bring nothing but misunderstanding or even criticism from our family members and friends. Voices from others—and even from within our own heart—rise up to condemn us for godly choices that now seem to be incapacitating us.
But Jesus Christ, who knows the depths of our soul, sees and understands the torment we face. He hears the condemning voices of our accusers. When our sacrifices for the heavenly Father make little sense to the inhospitable world around us, it is His voice that will prevail on our behalf.
From the appearance of some people, we judge them to be happy. Smiles, makeup, and stylish clothes can create an impression of inner peace. Internally, though, many are in bondage.
In today’s passage, Jesus clarifies His purpose: He has come to set free those in captivity. Christ was referring to two types of bonds that can imprison our soul.
First, Jesus breaks the chains of sin. All people have broken God’s law, and the consequence is to live apart from Him (Rom. 3:23). But Christ’s death and resurrection free us when we accept His gift of forgiveness and place our trust in Him. Then we can have a relationship with the Lord.
Second, God liberates us from persistent sins like jealousy, bitterness, and gluttony. His Spirit resides within each believer and provides the power to overcome wrong choices that seem to own us. He enables us to do what He desires—by bringing immediate healing or by giving guidance and strength in the ongoing battle.
The Creator of mankind made us with a void in our heart for Jesus to fill. Everything we put there—whether it seems like a good thing at the time or an obvious bad choice—will ultimately leave us wanting. And we’ll remain in bondage until God frees us and then provides the only true satisfaction.
Are you one of those people who appear happy and seem to have life figured out, and yet inside feel uneasy and empty? Jesus Christ is the only One who can redeem you, forgive your sins, and fill the vacant place in your soul. Allow Him to liberate you today.
For most of my life, I believed that the heavenly Father and I shared a relationship for my benefit. However, His primary purpose for creating intimacy with believers is to reveal Himself.
In a truly loving relationship, each person wants to continually know more about the other. As believers, we are sometimes guilty of taking a more self-interested approach and forget that God is the rightful center of attention. When that is the case, we may head to church or into quiet time looking for something to inspire us, motivate us, or help us.
Part of the problem is that we would like to practice our faith in the safest way possible. Bible study, prayer, and church are relatively easy, compared to stepping out in faith or enduring persecution. But to know God intimately is not a purely intellectual pursuit. A truth about the Lord is not really ours until He works it into our daily experience.
Our Father wants His children to understand how He operates. The only way to gain such knowledge is by allowing God to unveil Himself in our life. This means we must be willing to go through difficulty and pain as well as happiness and peace. A man can read that the Holy Spirit is the believer’s Comforter, but he does not know this truth until he has need of solace.
The Christian life is not about feeling good and deriving the greatest personal benefit from our connection to God. Rather, the Lord builds an intimate relationship with each of His followers. In this way, He can reveal more about Himself—truth by truth—as a believer needs that knowledge. What a privilege!
Suppose I asked you to characterize your relationship with God. Would you say He is like a friend whom you meet occasionally for coffee? Or is He at the opposite end of the spectrum—a valued member of your household who is included in every aspect of daily life? Most likely, the nature of your bond falls somewhere in between.
Whatever the state of your relationship with the Lord, be assured that He wants something closer and more meaningful. God desires a connection so deep and strong that words like friendship and fellowship cannot fully describe it. He created us for intimacy.
Of all the creatures on earth, human beings are the only ones made in God’s image. Like Him, we can think, reason, feel, and make choices, though we do none of these things as fully or perfectly as He does. The attributes that separate people from the rest of creation equip us to relate to the Lord in a unique way.
Jesus called His followers “friends” (John 15:15), and Paul wrote that believers are sons of God (Gal. 4:7). Those are not distant, impersonal relationships! When we spend time with the Lord, we grow as close to Him as a beloved child to a father.
Some believers have the mistaken idea that doing something “Christian” is the way to make God happy. But the way to please our Father is by being Christian. He wants us to live in such a way that others see He is our Father and best friend.
