Romans 8:29 ‘For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren’

DAILY READING; Colossians 3:18-4:18; Ezekiel 31-32; Isaiah 56

One of the amazing sights found in Japan are watermelons that have square-shapes instead of the normal round shape. These square-shaped watermelons are grown by Japanese farmers and sold in many of their shops.

Production of these watermelons began after the unique shape was first discovered by graphic designer Tomoyuki Ono in 1978. These square watermelons originated as a direct response to limited refrigerator space. Because full-sized round watermelons often took up a lot of room in the refrigerator, Japanese farmers then saw a lot of sense in forcing their watermelons to grow into square shapes, so as to enable them manage the space better.

The square shape was achieved by uprooting baby watermelons and placing them inside boxes and allowing them to grow and form into the shape of the boxes. They are left in these cube-shaped plastic boxes for around 10 days until they have grown to acquire the square shape of the box. However, these watermelons end up becoming inedible because they must be harvested before they are ripe, and placed in the square containers. And so they turn out to be used more for decoration and gifts items, rather than to be eaten as fruits.

Japanese farmers also export these square shaped melon around the world mostly for ornamental purposes. They are often very expensive, with prices as high as $200 and in places like Russia their prices sometimes go up as high as $800.  Apart from the square shapes now other shapes have also been introduced and there are now watermelons grown in the shapes of  hearts and pyramids.

 

 

It’s indeed interesting to note how these watermelons which by nature are round- shaped can be fitted into a mold and forced to grow into unnatural shapes.  Leaving their natural shape, they now take the shape of the container in which they are grown in.

In the same way that is how the world tries to exert its influence on us and attempts to fit us into its mold. The world constantly tries to pressure us to conform to its way of thinking and living. Today we have TV, movies, internet, email, instagram, facebook, twitter, snapchat Youtube, Whatsapp, etc bombarding us daily with the world’s mode of information.

And whether we like it or not we are being changed by the kind of media we are constantly being exposed to.  The question however is; how are we  being changed? Are we being conformed to the world around us or are we being transformed by God’s Word?

Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”.”

 

Whatever influence we are constantly exposed to becomes the mold that shapes us. The kind of media that we are constantly steeped in, will shape our thinking and our views.  Worldliness is like gravity, it is always there, always exerting its influence.  Daily it bombards us with words and images that try to desensitize us to sin. As believers we must constantly keep guard over our minds, because the conforming power of the world comes in a subtle form.  It happens so slowly that you might not even notice some of the changes as they take place. If you are not careful,  slowly and gradually, you may find yourself being squeezed into a mold, and conformed into the world’s shape.

Therefore  we cannot remain passive, but must actively resist the world’s  attempt to force us into its mold, by aggressively pursuing God’s Word.

We have been called and foreknown and predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ [Romans 8:29]. We are called to be different and stand out and not to fit into the world’s mold.  However, transformation starts in the mind. This is why it is important that we form a daily habit of constantly meditating on God’s Word. The more we fill our minds and hearts with the Word, the more we will be molded  into the image of Christ and the more we will continually manifest the glory of God.

 

PRAYER: Father I thank You for enabling me to constantly resist the influence of the world.  Thank You Lord for the grace to constantly meditate on Your Word so that I can be conformed daily to the image of Christ in Jesus’ Name.

 

Quote :

 

The treasures of God are never on the shallow end, but are always buried in the depth of God’s Word. It takes a personal discovery to get there. – WORDBITE 222.