Paul exhorts the readers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. God wants us to offer ourselves to him. We many times are hesitant to offer ourselves to God. We would rather hold onto our life, dream, wealth, and plan for ourselves rather than offer them to God. Verse 2 commands us: Do not conform to the pattern of this world. It is easy to conform to the pattern of this world. We tend to follow popular ideas, popular ways of living. When people of this world indulge in material gains and pleasure-seeking lives, we are tempted to follow them, too.

However, Paul is warning us not to do that. He says, "But be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This means to repent. We need to quickly repent and turn back to God, even when the people around us seem to be enjoying their lives patterned to the world. . People of Noah's time were getting married and given in marriage according to their fleshy desires and following the popular ideas of that time. But they all perished in the flood.


Application: Lord, please guide our hearts and minds, so we may not follow the pattern of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
One Word: Do not conform to the pattern of this world.