Scripture Sunday: Romans 12:2

Every Sunday on this site I will take some time to look at a passage from the Bible that I like and think is great... though they could obviously be presented by themselves without further mention, I will throw my two cents in on what the verse(s) mean to me.

This week let us look at a good passage that talks about how society, and how we need to sometimes ignore the rest of society and the ways of it if we truly want to follow God.

"Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:2)

There are many things in our society that can influence us very easily if we allow them to, from money, fame, power, sex, TV, internet, and so on and so forth. One does not have to look very hard or very far to find something in society that can lead us away from God if we allow it to transform our mind.

Of course, there are other options to fill our mind. Romans says to be transformed by the renewal of the mind so that we may discern what is the will of God. But what does that mean? As I am writing this, it seems like there are three main things that we can do to "renew" our mind and allow us to discern the will of God:

- Prayer - This one should be obvious. The classroom of silence, where we talk to God, and more importantly, allow Him to talk to us. If we do not have this, then we cannot know the will of God to be able to properly discern our path in life.

- Spiritual reading - This one will vary a little more by person, but I have found this to be a great method of really focusing my mind on what is really important in life and opening me up to new ideas and new ways of thinking. This can obviously be through the Bible, or through a ton of other great spiritual books. If you ever need any recommendations, just let me know :)

- Service - It is when we serve others and selflessly give of our time, talent, and treasure that we can come to know God on a more intimate level. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the least of His people, we do for him. When was the last time you served somebody?

If we work on these three things, I believe we can renew our mind to discern the will of God. It is when these things are present on a consistent basis in our lives that we are able to block out the temptations that society throws at us.