Make a Difference

Romans 12:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

12 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. 2 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.

"Thermostats and thermometers are entirely different instruments even though they sound much the same. A thermometer reflects the environment whereas a thermostat affects the environment. A thermometer tells you how hot or cold it is. A thermostat shapes how hot or cold it is. Followers of Jesus can be either of these instruments. We can reflect our world or affect our world. We can become captive to our surrounding culture so that we blend in. We are just like everyone else. Or we can be distinctive non-conformists who exemplify a different and better way of life. Being thermostats doesn’t make us weird eccentrics or pious killjoys. It just means we bring something of Jesus’ values and teachings into our own lives. We point people to Jesus, and in so doing, we shape and reshape the world around us. Christians have two options. We can let our surrounding world change us for the worse, or we can help change it for the better. Our text tells us the choice we need to make." - David Reay