Conformed: The Greatest Compliment

“Reputation is character minus what you’ve been caught doing.”
- Michael Iapoce

“I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows.”
- Drew Barrymore

As I look back over my life as a teacher and coach, a salesperson and sales manager, and then finally as a fundraiser for a University, one thing was always true, when I was living in the will of God my life was great when I wasn’t my life was a mess. The promise that God gives us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NASU) was true over and over again in my life.

In my fifth year of teaching and coaching, I finally was given the opportunity to be the head high school basketball coach in a small community in Central Ohio. I was excited about the challenge even though the team had lost all fifty-seven games over the past three seasons.

As we started the preseason workouts, I prepared a plan that I thought would allow us to move consistently toward a winning philosophy The boys worked very hard and we applied all the fundamentals for success that I had learned over the past four seasons as an assistant in other school districts. Even though I felt that we were physically and mentally prepared for the start of the season, we lost five of our first eight games.

I tried to keep a positive mental attitude even though team morale was falling with every loss. My staff attempted to develop success attitudes by keeping extensive records and emphasizing our growth in each area. We worked ardently to decrease the number of errors each week as we increased the positive statistics. We prayed before every practice and before every game that God would give us the focus to practice and play to our ability (we were permitted to do that back then). I also reminded them that we still had two games with Baltimore, Ohio (who hadn’t won a game yet).

During this time I spent many hours on my knees asking for opportunities to be a light to these young men, to give them direction, be a positive role model, and most of all to be a witness both with my words and my life. It didn’t seem like I was getting through to them.

During the second half of the season our hard work and consistent effort began to bear fruit. We didn’t win every game, but we were taking teams that beat us by as many as forty points in the first half of the season down to the buzzer and even winning some tight games.

Toward the end of the season we played Baltimore for the second time and won the game by a wide margin. We played at Baltimore and as was the case after a win the noise level on the bus was very high.

Suddenly, I began to hear everyone singing the old Spiritual “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” They started with Abraham, then Moses, David, Paul and the Apostles, and finally they sang, “If it’s good enough for Coach Hitchcock it’s good enough for me.”

It occurred to me as I drifted off to sleep that night that all the hard work, sleepless nights, tough disciplinary decisions, empty feelings that come from being so close and loosing were gone. I was feeling a deep and restful peace. As far as I was concerned no matter what happened from that point on, the season was a success. Hearing them singing that song was and still remains one of the most emotional experiences of my life. It was one of the greatest compliment I have been given.

Give me, oh God, the ability and the courage to live a life that consistently reflects you. Give me the wisdom that will allow me to conform to Your will.

Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 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. (NASV)

As Christians we cannot separate the truth of verse 1 from the instruction of verse 2. But how do we live as a “living, spiritual Sacrifice? I believe that Paul gives us the answer in verse 2.

Three steps to a life of Spiritual consistency:

Step # 1: Do not be conformed to this world

Our nation is suffering from corruption. Many of our churches are ineffective; either stagnant or dying. As individuals we have placed our hope in things and institutions rather than God. We have fallen in love with the things that bring disappointment and grief. We acknowledge God but don’t live for Him.

1 John 2:15 commands us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (NASV) Do not love the world or its things. It doesn’t say you can’t have them. It says you can’t love them.

But how do we keep from loving the things of the word? The answer is found in the next phrase in verse 2:

Step # 2. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Once we have accepted Christ as our personal savior we must begin to grow in the knowledge of God and what He wants us to do with our lives. Philippians 2:12 tells us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (KJV). To grow we have to communicate with God in the two ways He has provided for us.

The first way to communicate with God is through reading and memorizing His word. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (KJV)

Secondly we are commanded to talk to God through prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to “Pray without ceasing. (NASV) This means that we should recognize God for who He is, thank Him for what He has done, recognize our position as unworthy of His love and grace, and petition Him for direction in our lives.

But renewing our minds is only part of the Spiritual growth process. We must act according to the direction God gives us.

3. Perform that which will prove the will of God

We become more Christ like in our thinking as we read and memorize God’s word. At the same time, we are motivated (convicted) to act out God's will, not our own will for our lives. Then as we integrate God’s will into our walk we discover that it is good for us, and that it pleases God, and he blesses us in all areas of our lives. Understanding God and living according to His purpose is all we need.

Only by acting in and being renewed by the Holy Spirit can a believer ascertain, do, and enjoy the will of God. These thoughts are echoed in Galatians 5:16 where it states, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (NASV)

Walking in the Spirit involves:

• Doing good: Matthew 5:16 let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJV)

• Living acceptable daily lives: Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. (NKJV)

• Striving for perfection in our Spiritual lives: Colossians 1:28-29 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. (NKJV)