Be Focused
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
I have written before describing what I call a parallel universe made up of God’s spiritual kingdom and the earthly domain of man. They run side by side or above and below, whichever way you want to picture it. God’s spiritual kingdom is only available to those who have repented of their sins and believed on God’s only way of salvation, Jesus Christ. Believers live in both universes at the same time, but their focus should be on God’s spiritual kingdom even though they are still earthbound.
When a believer dies, he or she leaves the domain of earth and enters the realm of God’s kingdom which heretofore has been invisible. The believer who passed away knew it was there–he or she just couldn’t visibly see it–but the knowledge of it was based on faith. The unbeliever, the one who has rejected Christ and the gospel message, not only can’t see God’s kingdom, he or she is not even aware it exists. Upon death, it becomes quite evident that God’s spiritual kingdom exists, but for him or her it is too late. Sin and pride blind the eyes of unbelievers to the truth. I have thought many times about when someone passes away who left absolutely no evidence that he or she had been a follower of Christ, perhaps had even mocked Him and Christians, and I wondered what he or she thought the minute that he or she entered into Hades. I would suppose that the thought was, “What all those folks told me was right”. Eternity is too long to be wrong. Salvation is an extremely serious matter.
Believers not only live in this parallel universe, but they also have two natures within their soul. When a person is born again, he or she receives a new, spiritual nature which is focused on the Lord and life lived as a Christian, but the old sin nature is still active within the believer. A battle rages between the two natures with each one vying for control. The goal of the Christian is to work toward growing in Christ and thereby strengthening the new nature and diminishing the old sin nature. The unbeliever only has the old sin nature abiding within his or her soul. The conscience is given to help a person determine right from wrong, but it cannot do what God’s Holy Spirit can do in overcoming sin and helping the believer to live in righteousness.
What we give up when we come to the Lord is so insignificant when compared to the blessings and comfort we receive from Him. Paul tells us to not be like the world. What does the world have to offer that is anywhere close to the life lived in Christ? Our minds are transformed from living for the here and now, pursuing the world’s temporary glitter and gold to living in perpetual joy and the knowledge that this life is not all there is but there awaits a glorious future with everything that we need for eternity. Matthew Henry wrote concerning the transformed mind, “Conversion and sanctification are the renewing of the mind, a change not of the substance, but of the qualities of the soul”. Substance is the real or essential part of a thing. Qualities are the basic nature. In other words, you still have a mind, the essential thinking and reasoning part of your very being, however, the way it thinks and reasons has changed. Renew means to give new, spiritual strength to or to start over again.
Anyone can be conformed to this world. We see it all the time: people we know, on television and in movies, and in the news. The great majority of people are conformed to live as the world dictates. However, there is a remnant of people who choose to let God transform or change them into vessels that can be used for His service. The reason for our transformation is so that we can know what the Lord requires of us and carry it out in a righteous and acceptable manor. When we keep our mind focused on the Lord, on obeying Him, and serving Him by serving others, that’s how we prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.