Are You Conformed to the World? Even A Little Bit?

Holy Land Picture of the Day

Peniel Today's picture is of Peniel, the place on the shore of the Jordan River that is the traditional spot where Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord, as recorded in Genesis 32:29-30; "Then Jacob asked him and said, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, "I have seen God face to face,  yet my life has been preserved"  “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.” (Romans 12:2). Hey Gang:  Have you ever heard the comment “Hey, everyone is doing it?  Or even better yet, have you ever said, “Hey, everyone one is doing it, so it must be okay.  I mean brother George and sister Hazel are doing it and they are the deacon and deaconess in the church so it must be okay.  If you have, I have some bad news for you, a million folks may say 'to believe' is enough to get you into God’s kingdom or 'there is more than one road to heaven' or a multitude of other things that grieves the Holy Spirit but that does not make it right in God’s sight. Take heed to what the young lads said when given the option of doing it the Babylonian way or facing the pussy cat den or fiery furnace.  Daniel was given the option - eat the food that was dedicated to the false god’s or pay the piper.   But he knew in his heart that agreeing to the bangles and beads road would only lead to deep problems in eternity. Instead he stood unshaken and unmovable and “made up his mind that he would not defile himself on the king’s choice foods” (Dan. 1:8-9). The three young lads were given the option of bowing down to the great image but said no thanks to the great king and then added, “If it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire,and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But if He chooses not to bail us out of this pot hole in the road, we are not going to defile ourselves by going down your road”.  (Dan. 3:17-18). Notice, God liked that.  Verse nine tells us, “Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials” and in verse twenty we read “As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm”. Soooo, my young friends, in my study of Ezekiel I find many, many times when God said “I will”, but with many of those “I will’s” there is a condition applied.  We also find that with the many covenants that God made, some were conditional and some unconditional.  The one I like the most is “That He demonstrated His love to us in that while yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).  Careful, as you progress through this day that you do not bow down to any images! Blessing, Gramps