March 24, 2017 DO NOT CONFORM
1 Peter 1:14: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;”
As believers, we were transformed when we confessed Christ as our Savior. In Colossians 1:13: we read: “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” and 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” We are also being transformed as we mature in the faith. 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” However, Peter makes it clear that after being transformed, it is possible for us to conform to the former manner of life we lived before being transformed. We conform to our old ways, our old man, when we walk according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit. When a believer walks according to the flesh, it grieves the heart of our Father who has set us free form the power of sin and has given us His Spirit that we might walk in newness. If we neglect our spiritual health, if we do not renew our minds, if we do not feed on God’s word, and if it is not our desire to be pleasing to Him in all we do, then we will find ourselves living according to the flesh. We must realize that we cannot blame our enemy, or anyone else for our choosing to live according to the flesh, conforming to who we use to be. As God our Father is holy, we to are to be holy in all behavior. We cannot be holy by our own strength, but because His Spirit lives in us and because God has broken the power of sin, we can live holy. It is certainly to our advantage to live in holiness; living in un-holiness leads to all sorts of devastation and ruin. Being holy is not about us and is not something to be prideful about, but in fact, the power that God has given us to live in holiness humbles us when we realize that it is because of His work in us that we can be holy. Also, our holiness is not just in theory only, but our holiness is to show up in all our behavior! Let us take to heart the instructions from God to be holy, just as He is holy.
2 Corinthians 7:1: “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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