Romans 13:12-14
"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."
Paul mentioned here specifically how to bear witness in the end times. On one hand he taught us to put aside the deeds of darkness, which is the passive way. One the other hand he told us to clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, which is the proactive way. To clothe with Christ sometimes is translated as "to conform to the image of Jesus Christ from top to bottom". Not only our mouth should be conformed, but also the eyes, so as to resist the lust of our eyes. May God give us eyes like his to look at everything. Not only our heart should be conformed to the image of Jesus, but also our outward deeds.
St. Augustine used to be dissolute when he was young. One day when he was walking in a garden, suddenly he heard someone speak to him: "Pick up and read!" So he picked up the book in front of him and found that it was a Bible. When he turned to the passage of Romans 13: 13-14, he felt immediately convicted by the Spirit. So he confessed to God. After he came back to the Lord, his former girlfriend saw him and called him. Intuitively he responded: " I am here." But on second thought it occurred to him: " No. It is no longer I." He clearly saw that he was no longer the former Augustine after he confessed, for it was no longer he, but the Lord that was living inside.
Do we have the same commitment to live for the Lord? Are you following the Lord, or following the world? It is very easy to follow the world, for you don't have to do anything. You will be conformed to the world in terms of thoughts and value. But if you want to follow the Lord, you have to learn to live a sacrificing life, without being conformed to the world. Instead, let God conform you to the image of Christ. It is not easy to live in this way. You need to pay the price. But this kind of live will bring you true satisfaction and joy. More importantly, it will take you into eternity.
We need to come back to God once again and ask Him to help us follow His orders. As long as we obey God, we can make transformations in not only our live, family, church, but also the society, the nation and even the whole world. May the Lord prepare our heart to march forth in unity.
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