Attitude Change

Early in this blog, I wrote about Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  So, how do you renew your mind?  Paul gives a couple of suggestions a few verses down 12: 9 "... Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good." - This is the attitude change ...

The two words I'd like to focus on is abhor and cling.  Abhor in the original greek is apostugeo.  It means to hate; strong feeling of horror or bitter hatred regarding evil.  "Apo" emphasizes the idea of separation which intensifies the hatred.  It's not just an emotion with regards to evil, it also involves an action.  Believers are to express their hatred by withdrawing from it, separating from it, and/or putting distance from it.  So what do you with draw to?  separate to?  How about holiness.  1 Peter 1: 15-16 says, "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, You shall be holy for I am holy".  I find that in myself, I tend not be necessarily shocked at sin, I am anesthetized to a certain extent.  I have allowed Satan to cloud my thinking and attitudes.  Paul restates Romans 12: 2 in Colossians 3:1-3, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

The other word to focus on is cling, which in the greek is kolla.  It means glue, cement, fasten, to unite.  The word picture is continually entering into close contact with that which is good.  I discussed this passage with our youth group today.  I had a practical demonstration .... I printed out two photos, one of Lauri and one of myself.  I shared Genesis 2:24 ("for this cause, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife").  I asked a youth to tape the two pictures together - symbolically of marriage, and then another to take them apart.  The youth had considerable difficulty in separating the photos, for I clung to my wife! (thank you scotch tape!).  This is how we are to cling to what is good - FOR DEAR LIFE!  The ways of evil/sin are destructive.  Evil is like velcro, like a shoe, like a leech - difficult to separate.

There is no neutrality.  We/I must change our attitudes towards evil - run from it, hate it ... and run towards that which is good - and cling to it.