Culture: the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.
Culture is all around us. Everywhere we go, from the moment we are born to the day we die, we are immersed in culture. Have there been times you feel you’re required to act or think a certain way because that is how it has always been or what is expected of you? This is culture.
Some aspects of our culture are good, but most go against what God wants. For Christians, there are 2 “cultures”; the culture of Jesus and that of the World. Many times, they are in conflict. In the book written to Christians in Rome, Paul said that they should not be conformed to the culture of the world but be transformed by renewing their mind (through the Word and Spirit of God) …Romans 12:2. In other words, “There is a way to raise a family, run a business, have relationships etc that is authenticated by God” – Reverend Y. Song. It is deception to think there is no alternative to World Culture. That we must conform or be destroyed. This is a lie. There is an alternative.
However, the Alternative requires sacrifice.
You’re a man presented with a business deal that would require you to cut corners but taking it means you’ll make a killing. You think it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, but you know it goes against your beliefs. Someone else gets it and you watch as he becomes what you imagined your life would be.
The Alternative requires patience.
You’re a lady and you’ve just rejected another proposal from someone others would say is very eligible, but you choose to wait for the one who does agree with your beliefs. It takes a while, you are laughed at; others who started out after you would seem to be ahead of you.
The Alternative requires compassion.
What do you do when someone hurts you? World culture says forget the person, keep away from the person or even revenge but The Alternative is to forgive completely.
You are not against culture, you just have a better one – The Alternative.
Why is The Alternative better? Because it’s not about what you get now but about how you get what you get. Because what you wait for, you appreciate. Because what you work for has value. Because it makes God happy when you choose His way. At the end, His Way is always the best.
The Alternative is a difficult path to follow. It takes something more than ourselves to walk this path. We cannot do it by ourselves, we need the power of God’s Holy Spirit. And the first place He starts to change is through our thinking and through our hearts. Which is where every new culture begins.
Thank you for reading!
