The theme of this issue of the Epistle is based on the clarion call of the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2. That verse has three significant portions: (1) “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, (2) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind; (3) then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is.”
It may be helpful for us to consider these in reverse order. (3) The ultimate goal, according to Paul, is that we recognize and obey what God has laid out for us as the best way to live. Following His path, His teaching, and the rest of Scripture will make a practical difference in all we do and say. (2) the way to get to the goal of transformed and faithful Christian living is to renew our minds. The tense indicates this is not a once and for all event but a continual and repeatable process. It really means “keep on being transformed by renewing your mind.” (1) The reason we need this constant mental renewal is because of the pressure of the people around us and all of life’s experiences, which tend to squeeze us into their mold and conform us to secular, sinful, or unbelieving ways of thinking and acting.
If the world surrounding a first-century believer (when the New Testament was written) was a high-pressured and conforming force acting relentlessly on people, in the twenty-first century it is surely even more powerful in molding and conforming people to secular ways.
How the modern world invades our minds and souls is sophisticated and relentless. Technology, which is morally and spiritually neutral, is sometimes used by the devil to conform us to his twisted values, to seduce us away from Christ, and to rob us of our souls.
Recognizing this danger, Christian author and counselor John Eldredge (best-selling author of more than a dozen books about the Christian life, marriage, manhood, and self-help) has published his newest book entitled Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad (2020). Here’s how he explains his purpose for writing it:
We’re spending three hours a day using apps on our phones, ten hours viewing media, consuming enough information each week to crash a laptop. We talked about unplugging, but we’re enchanted… This is all very hard on the soul. traumatizing, in fact. Exposure to traumatic events can traumatize us, and we’re getting lots of it in our feed. It’s like we’ve been swept into the gravitational field of a digital black hole that is sucking our lives from us. — John Eldredge
Our best inner defense is a renewed mind, which Paul talks about in Romans 12. Eldridge says: “If we had more of God, that would really help. We could draw upon His love and strength, His wisdom and resilience.” But how do we get more of God? How do we squeeze Him into our busy and crowded lives?
Eldredge, an experienced Christian counselor, offers us several manageable techniques and habits to help us translate the desire to follow the course of Romans 12:2 into practical results. Here are some of his chapter headings that summarize the wisdom he provides: The One Minute Pause, Benevolent Detachment, Drinking Beauty, Simple Unplugging, Kindness towards Ourselves, Allowing for Transitions, Getting Outside, and Caring for the Neglected Places in Your Soul. If any of these sound to you like they would be practices worth trying, I recommend the book Get Your Life Back.
Jesus told His disciples that if they put their daily lives fully in His hands, their “yoke would be easy, and their burden light” (Matthew 11:30). Eldredge sums up this winsome call: “the invitation of God is to an unburdened life.”
by Pastor Doug Pratt
