Like All The Nations

After they saw that Samuel’s children were not following in His footsteps, the people of Israel made a demand that would change their entire future. “Appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). They looked around at the other nations and saw they all had kings to rule over them and to judge them and decided they wanted to be like everyone else. What they failed to recognize is that all the other nations were serving false gods and idols and were living a life that was contrary to the will of God. This lifestyle was all too familiar to the children of Israel. They had already seen the consequences of being like the nations around them. God did not fight for them, and they lost battles, costing them thousands of lives. Yet they still wanted to be like all the nations. This desire to be like everyone else is not unique to the children of Israel. We, as a people, tend to have a herd mentality. We want to fit in with the crowd, not be the odd man out. This mentality, however, if we are not careful, can lead us down the same road as it did the people of Israel. Romans 12:1-2 teaches that we should be holy or set apart, pleasing to God and that we shouldn’t fit into the world’s mold but be transformed to see and understand the will of God. As people of God, we should not desire to look like the world because we are not people of the world.

Challenge

1.     Meditate on Romans 12:1-2 examine your life, and see where you have tried to fit in with the world.

2.     When you are invited to act like the world or go to a place that is not fitting for a Christian, take a stand and don’t conform to this world.