"Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2).

As the redeemed of the Lord it becomes us continually to keep before us that it is not our salvation
but the glory of God that is the ultimate end. We ought never to lose sight of this. In order that
we may do our part as witnesses for God in this world, it is necessary that we should not be
conformed to the world but be transformed. Without this it is entirely impossible to be witnesses
for God in a right way. We may think we do this thing and we do another thing to the glory of
God, and yet only insofar as we are not conformed to this world, but are transformed, are we truly
witnesses for God.

We have been bought by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. As God in Christ has done
so much for us, and as the precious and adorable Lord Jesus Christ has done so much for us, it
well becomes us that we, the sons of the Most High, should not wait for the afterlife in order to
aim to be conformed to the image of God’s dear Son. We shall in that day be perfectly conformed
to the Blessed One (Rom. 8:29), but as far as we are able we should aim at it day by day already
in this present life.

It is most important to keep before us that it is the will of the Lord that we should be transformed,
and that this is possible through the renewing of our minds. In our natural, unsaved state we go
our own way. We may be amiable people in the eyes of our fellow men. We may be honest and
moral, and every one may speak well of us even before our conversion, but yet we go our own
way. In this state, it is entirely impossible to please God because we do not set Him before us. We
do not do what we do to the praise of His name. We use our bodily strength, our mental powers,
our talents and gifts just as we please, in order to gratify ourselves. We do not use them to the
praise and honor and glory of God.

Likewise, in our unsaved state, we do not use our profession, our business, our money for the
Lord, but we use them as it pleases us. That is how we dishonor the Lord. All the resolutions that
we may make to be in a different state will not alter the case.

Thus it will go on until we are convinced that we are sinners, needing a Saviour, and until, as lost,
ruined, guilty sinners, we have put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and have accepted salvation
through His atoning sacrifice alone. In this way we are renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In this way we obtain spiritual life, and thus begins the possibility of our being transformed.

It must be recognized, however, that this is only the beginning, and we should not be content with
the beginning. Our hearty desire should be to be transformed. In this way we show our love and
gratitude to our heavenly Father by being witnesses for Him in this evil world.

Conformed to the Image of God’s Dear Son

We must not forget that the eyes of the world are upon us, that they want to see whether there is
a difference between us and themselves_whether our lives witness for God, or whether they do

not. In order that, in some measure at least, we make progress in this conformity to the image of
God’s dear Son, it is most important that day by day we seek to keep before us both what we have
been redeemed from and what we have been redeemed unto.

First, from what have we been redeemed? Once we belonged to the power of darkness, we were
the slaves of the wicked one, we were the children of the devil. But now we have been brought
out of this state and have been transplanted into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. We are no longer
dead in trespasses and sins and we are no longer slaves of the world and of our own wicked evil
hearts. The more we realize these things, so shall we be constrained by love and gratitude to seek
increasingly to be conformed to the image of God’s dear Son.

Second, unto what we have been redeemed? All our sins have been forgiven; we are justified
before God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; we are begotten again, children of God for time
and eternity and, as such, heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ; before long we
shall reign with Jesus, before long we shall sit with Him on the throne, and with Him judge the
world.

Let us keep before us that we shall spend a happy eternity in glory with the Lord Jesus Christ, that
our own eyes shall see that blessed One, that our own hands shall be allowed to touch that blessed
One, and that in seeing Him as He is, we shall be like Him, not only obtaining the glorified body,
but be perfectly free for ever and ever from every sin. The more this is kept before us, the more
we shall be constrained in this present life to seek the glory of God.

Miserable Going Our Own Way

Further, it is well to keep in mind that it is the will of the Lord that the human creature should not
be happy while walking in separation from God. God has determined that the human creature shall
be miserable going his own way, and that peace and joy in God and in the Holy Spirit can only
be obtained by walking with God in the fear of the Lord.

Living for God

In the next place, it should be our deep, hearty longing to have but one single object for our
life_to live for God, to please God, since it is impossible that in going our own way we should
be happy or could really have peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Let us not be satisfied until our
whole heart is given to the Lord. May each of us be able to stand before God and say:"My
Father, You know all things; You know that Your poor child is feeble and weak, but You know
also that my heart is given to You:You have my heart." If we cannot yet say this, let us be
determined that our whole heart should now be given to the Lord!

Then, my beloved brethren, we must not lose sight of this that, though we desire with our whole
heart to live for the Lord, in ourselves we are weak and feeble. We have no strength of our own.
It is most important that we remain conscious of our own weakness and nothingness and ignorance
all the days of our lives and therefore in simplicity and in the consciousness of our weakness, cling
and cleave to our heavenly Father in prayer. We must be men and women given to prayer. Day

by day we must go to our heavenly Father for help, strength, support, wisdom, and everything that
we need.

Bow Before the Word of God

Coupled with this, we must let Him speak to us. When we pray, we speak to Him. When we read
the Word of God, our heavenly Father speaks to us. Are we really men and women who love the
Word of God? How does it stand with us in this matter? How much have we been reading the
Word of God? Oh, beloved in Christ, it is most important that we be men and women given to the
reading of the Word of God_reading it regularly and consecutively.

Our reading of the Word of God should be accompanied by meditation. Let us meditate, even if
only for a short time, upon a small portion of the Word, and do this always with reference to our
own hearts. Let us read the Word of God practically, as the Word of God, so that our fallen
reason bows before it. It is God who says it, and that should be enough for us, whether we can
understand it with our fallen reason or not. "What … you know not now … you shall know
hereafter" (John 13:7) is applicable in this respect also. We should patiently and prayerfully and
believingly wait until that time comes when we shall see why it is so and why it is expressed in
this way and not in another. Let us always have it before us practically that the Holy Scriptures
are the Word of God, and therefore it becomes the fallen human being to bow before the
Scriptures.

We must mix faith with the Word, and we should read and ponder it with the special object of
carrying it out in our life. If we do not mean to act according to it, prayer and the reading of the
Word will profit us very little. It is given to us for the very purpose that we should act according
to it, and in doing so our peace and joy in the Holy Spirit will be increased more and more.

The blessedness of this I have known in my own happy experience for the last 48 years, and I can
recommend this very particularly to my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us be honest.
Let us never cease to act according to the Scriptures. Even though there is weakness (as at the first
may be the case), we shall surely make progress in knowledge and in grace.

Honest Confession at Once

If we fail in any way after all this, what then? Let us make simple, honest confession at once,
without hypocrisy or without seeking to excuse the failure. Having confessed before our heavenly
Father, let us then seek to experience the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ afresh with
regard to our own hearts and to lay hold of the promise:"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Let us
consecrate our heart afresh to God, yield ourselves to Him, and seek His grace with regard to the
future.

If any one were to go on in this way, what would be the result? He would realize the fulfillment
of the promise of our adorable Lord:"Whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have
more abundance" (Matt. 13:12). The more one walks in this way, he will be less and less

conformed to the world and more and more transformed to be like the Lord Jesus. Though it be
but little in comparison with what it might be and what it ought to be, still there will be more and
more conformity to the image of our precious, adorable Lord even in this life. He is worthy, that
blessed One who laid down His life for us_He is worthy that we should seek to live for Him!

Oh, my beloved Christian friends, let us aim at this! The Lord delights to bless us. If we are only
willing to receive blessing, He is ready to give far more abundantly than we ever expect to
receive. It is a blessed thing, even for this life, to walk in the ways of the Lord with the whole
heart.

Wholly the Lord’s

In this one thing we must be honest that there does not remain to ourselves any part of the heart.
God wants the whole heart. He says, "My son, give Me your heart" (Prov. 23:26), not "part of
your heart." Nor does He say, "My son, give me a little of your money," but He says, "Give Me
your heart." He will accept nothing in the place of the heart.

When the heart is really given to the Lord, then our purse is given to Him also; then our
profession and business are given to Him also; then our houses and lands belong to Him also; and
all we have and are belongs to the Lord. At this we should aim; may we be satisfied with nothing
less.

(From Counsel to Christians.)