Re:Verse passage – Romans 12:1-2 (day four)
When it comes to the daily, weekly routines of life, we all have a certain way of doing things. Oftentimes, we do something in a particular way because that’s the way our parents did it. We don’t give it much thought, we just do things the way we saw our parents do them year after year. Whether it’s cooking, household chores, or even subtle mannerisms, when we watch something done in a particular way for a long time, we do it that way too. We don’t have to think about it.
This is fine and even endearing when it comes to the small tasks of life. Paul warns us, though, not to allow our culture to influence us in this way. Everyday, we watch how the world around us handles things. We watch as people engage in politics with hate and immaturity. We watch as people treat those who are different from them with distrust and suspicion. We watch as people put their trust in wealth and material gains. We watch as people put themselves above others, doing whatever it takes to get ahead. We watch these things everyday. If we’re not careful, we’ll begin to follow these patterns without even thinking.
Rather than following the ways of the world, Paul tells us to renew our mind. When we fight to make our time in prayer and Scripture a priority, the Spirit renews us and shows us God’s perfect will and perfect love. We begin to see things clearly, and the patterns of the world become foolish to us. We need this renewal every day, and God is faithful to do this work in us.