Saturday, June 30, 2018

The Moth in the Closet

Paul pleads with us to remember that there is a war of conformity going on in this world. The world is constantly trying to convince us that worshiping God, surrendering our bodies to be used to serve Him (self-control), is a waste of time--pointless; a misguided sacrifice. Their point of attack is our mind--our thinking. They know if they can just change our assumptions about what is good, what is acceptable, what pleases or displeases God, what is sin, that our actions will soon demonstrate that change of mind. They do not tell us to do certain things; they just convince us that doing certain things are not evil, not displeasing to God. Once we believe that the darkness is light, we surrender our bodies to the things the world loves that God hates--the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, the pride of life--the pride that boasts of its freedom to do as it pleases. Those, of course, are the things our Savior died to free us from being enslaved to. The mercies of God that He has lavished on His children enable them to be free to worship Him with their bodies--to be that living sacrifice acceptable and pleasing in His sight. We must be constantly on guard. We must feast on the Word so that the Spirit can remind us of what the truth is--still is, no matter the arguments of the world. Conforming to the world's way of thinking is not instantaneous--it is subtle, gradual. The illustrations the Word uses are that it is like a moth in a closet slowing, imperceptibly, destroying the garments; or the hair on a person gradually turning gray one strand at a time. That is why Paul pleads with us to daily offer ourselves up to Him as a sacrifice of love for His redeeming, freeing mercies. That is why Paul pleads with us to be continually renewing our mind by constant immersion in the Word. That is why Paul says that repeating the old truths is a necessary thing, a safeguard--an act of renewal. When we tire of hearing of God's great love toward us, we set aside the urgency to love Him sacrificially, and our minds drift away from obedience, become susceptible to the conforming power of the world's lies. Is there anything more dangerous then, then a day without reading and meditating on the Word?
"Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee."
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
"How does a young man cleanse His ways? By taking heed to the Word of God."
The righteous man--the flourishing, prospering tree whose leaves do not wither--delights in the law of God, mediates on it day and night.
I plead with you brothers, because of God's mercies, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice to God ... do not be conformed to this world, but live lives that reflect that you know and embrace what is pleasing and acceptable to Him--and to Him alone.

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