And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect

"Long-time actress and comedienne Gracie Allen once received a small, live alligator as a gag. Not
knowing what to do with it, Gracie placed it in the bathtub and then left for an appointment. When
she returned home, she found this note from her maid: 'Dear Miss Allen: Sorry, but I have quit. I
don't work in houses where there is an alligator. I would have told you this when I took on, but I
never thought it would come up'" (SermonIllustrations.com).
 
It likely won't be in the form of an alligator in the bathtub, but life is full of things we didn't
expect. Probably at the top of the list of surprises is in observing where we are as a culture
today. Who what have predicted that Donald Trump would now be president? Who could have foreseen
that the Cubs would win the World Series this year? On a serious note, who would have known how our
world's opinions on abortion, homosexuality, and premarital sex would have shaped? It's also
shocking to see how technology and its uses have morphed.
 
Like the maid, there are things in life we probably thought would never have happened.  Issues we
thought we would never face. And yet here we are, standing in the midst of them.  Our world is
changing at lightning speed and sometimes it feels overwhelming to try and keep up. Thankfully, we
have a very simple guide to help us.
 
Romans 12:2 explains, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and
perfect."
 
We are living in this ever-changing world, but we are by no means to conform and shape ourselves to
it.  No matter how our culture is forming, we are to be confirmed only to the Lord and his
teachings.  We are to be ones who have our minds renewed and set on the Lord no matter what is
happening around us.
 
There's nothing wrong with being current. But as new issues arise, let's be aware of them, adapt to
them as we can, but still keep our minds focused on God.  No matter what shape our culture takes,
let's always conform to God's likeness.

Brett Petrillo