If You Have Not, Now Is The Time to Conform

I remember a time in my life when I felt free to do things my way. Honestly, I did not always make very good choices. I take that back. I made some really bad choices.

God chastens His children. I don’t much like to be chastened, but I got the message. The message was, “You’ve been doing things your way. How’s it working out for you?”

It’s easy to get off track. Trials may take your focus off of God. You may be tempted to do things someone else’s way. Peer pressure is tough.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

That verse gets me through a lot of tough spots in life. I find it very encouraging. It makes it easier for me to put the trials in the proper perspective. I’ve learned to rest in the knowledge that God has it covered, and I don’t have to worry about it.

What about the verses that follow?

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Romans 8:29-30

Be careful about conforming to what you want or what your friends want. We are supposed to be conformed to the image of Christ. We are called.

We are ALL called.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Romans 12:1-5

Let’s recap for a moment. God has it covered. We are to conform to Christ. We are ALL called. We are all one body.

If you don’t conform to Christ, would you expect God to fully use you? Would you expect God to chasten you?

LIFE APPLICATION

Have you ever had one part of your body not cooperate? Let’s think about the common cold and a stuffy nose. When one part of your body does not perform well, it takes the attention from what you want to be doing – perhaps need to be doing – and places it on that one part of your body. With a stuffy nose, you want to be able to breath easier.

It’s just harder to concentrate on moving forward when one part of your body is not cooperating or even slowing you down.

God designed a place in the Body of Christ – the church – just for you. You are the only one that can fill that role. When you are not conformed to Christ, you hold the body back.

Now is the time to conform.