In But Not Of

Romans 12: 1-2 says “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

How do you live in the world, but not of it? How do you live in the world, but not conform? What is the pattern of this world?

When Dan and I went to Belize, we met some of the most genuine, faithful, and kind-hearted people. Genuine in the sense that their faith was stretched in ways ours in America, may not be. Here in America, in a 1st world setting, we don’t even THINK of some of the needs that others deal with daily. I am not saying that there are not any needs in America. There are! In our backyards, we have those who are homeless, those who do not have enough food, those who have no money. Yet what we tend to forget on a daily basis is how true those needs are for our brothers and sisters around us – whether it be in our own towns or in another country halfway around the world.

What if we lived, daily thinking about those who live in 3rd world settings, in such a way, that we changed the way we live in America? It is hard to escape because we are surrounded 24/7, with the need to consume more and more. A pattern of this world. We allow the world to tell us what we need.

What if we lived more simple lives? What if we didn’t give into the lies our culture tells us? What if we said no to the instant gratification desires? What if we turned our back on the things that we “think” will make us happy? When we came back from Belize (or from other 3rd world mission trips we went on), we felt we went through culture shock. Where did my idea to start downsizing and live with less come from? A trip to the Dominican Republic. Even though we were living with Dan’s parents, and Dan did not have a job when we went to Belize, we felt so rich. Rich in the world’s standards. Yet we felt we had so many MORE needs – spiritually. God needed to continue to break our hearts to draw us closer to Him.

God is doing a lot of work in our lives. What does it mean to live in, but not of the world? What does it mean to be consumed by the world, but be consumed by Christ? These questions, Dan and I try to ask ourselves often. God has given us this world to be stewards of, yet it is so broken. He has given us enough – to sustain our needs. Yet there are those dying of starvation and without a roof over our heads.

What are we going to do about it? I am not starting a rally and saying we need to sell everything we have and move to a 3rd world country (unless that is what you feel God leading you to).

But it does start by taking small steps

…allowing God to convict us.