We love Vacation Bible School! The Bible verse for VBS this year is Romans 12:2. “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God” (CSB).
This present age will tell us what to believe, what to value, how to spend our time and our money, who we should be trying to impress, how to ‘get ahead,’ and how to define our identity.
Social media, internet, sitcoms and movies, news reports, influencers and popular opinions, celebrities and political leaders, all these and more tend to pull us in their direction, to conform us to this age. This age has a thousand avenues into our hearts and minds.
This evil age will not encourage us to believe God’s word, to value God’s ways, to spend time and money seeking and serving our Maker and our Savior. This wicked world cares nothing about pleasing the Lord or advancing his kingdom. This world avoids talking about or thinking about eternity, accountability, or judgment.
This wicked world is so pervasive and so invasive that it seems impossible to resist. In fact, without help, we get swept away by the beliefs, values, ideas, and lifestyle of this world. What can we do?
First, we decide not to give in, not to be conformed to this age. Second, we present ourselves to God to be transformed. Note that Romans 12:2 does not say, “transform yourself.” It says, “be transformed.” We don’t have the strength to overcome the ways of this world. We need someone who has the power. God is the one who is able.
God’s transformation starts with our thinking. It says that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. In this world, people tend to be skeptical of God’s way of thinking. They tend to believe and trust friends, feelings, influencers, celebrities, anything but God or Jesus or the Bible.
As Christians, we have decided to trust Jesus. We believe his words and meditate on them. We think about how to live according to his words. God’s Spirit enables us to discern his will. In other words, we learn to recognize what is truly good, what pleases God. As Romans 12:2 says, we realize that God’s will is perfect.
Those who are conformed by the wicked ways of this evil age may have some fun for a season, but they are chasing the wind. The things of this world always leave us unfulfilled, needing more, endlessly searching but never satisfied.
In contrast, God’s will is perfect, whole, complete, without error or omission. We need nothing more than God’s will. God’s good and pleasing will touches every part of our lives, every circumstance, every need. When we pursue and practice God’s will, we need no supplements.
We no longer see social media as the world does, or the internet, or sitcoms and movies. We don’t decide how to spend our money and our time based on the world’s values and ideas. We choose to do what pleases God. We choose God’s good and pleasing and perfect will.
We pursue God’s will not because it makes our lives easier. In fact, we find ourselves at odds with the ways of this world. Nevertheless, we choose to be transformed because it is right in God’s eyes. It pleases God and that pleases us!
May God bless our kids and bless us with a fun and fruitful VBS in 2024,
Brother Richard
brotherrichardsblog.com 