The Nugget:
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV) Rom 12:2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. (CEV, Common English Version)
Many who may consider themselves to be Christians might well find out, if they carefully read the Bible, that they are not living a life that is pleasing to God.
It ought to be the goal of every Christian to please God in every aspect of life.
The key to this is to “let God change how you think.” How does this happen? God speaks to us through His written word found only in the Bible. Is the Bible out-of-date, or does it teach what is suited to our time and situation? I believe the Bible still speaks to our day. Its advice and guidance never goes out of date. So to let God change how you think, you must read and study the Bible, and especially the New Testament.
The power to live according to God’s will comes by means of the working of the Holy Spirit taking place in your life. As you read and believe the message of the New Testament, you will experience regenerative change (Titus 3:5). Old things will pass away, all things will become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If this change is not happening in your life, you are not yet properly related to God. A proper relationship to God can only happen as the result of reading, believing, and obeying God’s Word in the Bible. A proper relationship is a synergistic affair: you must do your part, and God will do His part (Philippians 2:12, 13).
We must grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Most fundamental to this growth in grace is our regular reading and study of the Bible. All of us must make time in our life daily to read Scripture. That is the only food for our spiritual lives that God has provided.
If you are not motivated to regularly read the New Testament, then you do not have, in terms of spiritual life, the real thing. You must become properly related to God so that He can work in your life and produce the fruit (Galatians 5:22, 23) that is pleasing to Him, something we all ought to fervently desire if we really are to be considered true Christians.