Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2
"
That's the job of God's Word. It is a fixed point because it never changes, and it means the same thing yesterday, today, and tomorrow. How it affects us may change, but its truth never does. It's only from God's Word that we can find objective truth, objective belief, and objective hope."
The young man stares at his now empty glass, pondering Michael's words.
"
Dad, what does that mean for me? For us? For our society?"
Standing up and walking to the window, the widower looks out at the city beneath them. A wedding in Hyde Park means getting ready in strange places, in this case, the fifteenth floor of a hotel. As he begins to speak, rather than simple prose he offers poetry.
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.
It's not the Bible, but it's still true. Life is a journey, a great voyage. Without a star to steer by, without a fixed point, we'd be hopelessly lost. But with one, life becomes an adventure where we can face a grey dawn with joy.
You ask me what this means for you and me, and our society?"
John nods, listening to the sage words of his father.
"
We need to pray, and fast, and seek God's will. It's not about forcing our desires on others, it's about humbling ourselves before God and our nation, and submitting ourselves to his will, regardless of what that might mean for us."
"
That sounds like a much slower way of grappling with the issue rather than going out and trying to fight the way that the world does.
"
"
It is, but it's also the only way that we'll see any lasting, godly change here. If we're serious about this, then we'll fight not on our feet, but on our knees."
(To be continued...)
Heavenly Father,
We thank you that you are unchanging, and that the trust we place in you will never go astray.
We pray for our nation, for the men and women across our land, that they would place their trust in you and not in the world.
May the Holy Spirit help us to be transformed by prayer, fasting, and lives in line with your will, rather than being conformed to the will of others.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
|
