How Important is Your Worldview?

"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." Romans 12:2 (ESV)

What is your worldview? Through what do you filter your thinking? How do you interpret the events and happenings around you? When you make a decision about your future such as starting a new job, moving to a new location or buying a house what criteria do you use? Whether we realize it or not, the way we make these and frankly all the decisions we make in life is based on our worldview. Let's look at taking on a new job. What influences your decision? Do you consider the working environment and how that will affect your Christian walk? Do you think about how it will impact your family? Or do you merely think about how much money you will make? What about moving to a new location? Do you think about the public schools? The taxes? The neighborhood? Or do you look to see if there is a good church where you and your family can participate?

How does worldview impact decisions? Worldview has to do what you perceive to be important in life. If you have a materialistic viewpoint on the world, you will make decisions based solely on your ability to acquire things. In other words, when you choose a job, money will be the most important thing. If you have a Christian viewpoint on the world, money might be an important factor in your decision, but it will not be the primary reason. You will take into consideration how the job will affect your family, your relationship to the Lord, etc.

Much of the above is very obvious to most Christians. What is not always as easy to detect is how your world viewpoint affects the smaller parts of life. For instance, how you treat others, how you dress, how you talk, how you interpret the news and local politics.

Scripture teaches that we are not to be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (I find it interesting that we are not told to go out and change our appearance.) I believe that this is speaking about our worldview. When we interpret the world from the Scriptural perspective, when we learn to see things the way God sees them, we begin to look at life differently. Money, power and position don't seem to have the same appeal as they once had. More than just wanting to do God's will and obey Him, we begin to long to see things the way He does.

How does this renewal take place? It is the work of God's Spirit in our hearts, but we learn about God's thinking from His Word. As we study the Scriptures, we see how God sees the world. We learn His viewpoint, and it becomes our viewpoint. Our responsibility, then, is to spend time in God's Word, memorize it, study it, and make it our own. The Spirit of God will bring to our mind His truth as we face life's decisions and live out our lives in this world.

“May the Mind of Christ, My Savior”

May the mind of Christ, my Savior, live in me from day to day,
By His love and pow’r controlling all I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph only thro’ His pow’r.

May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory.

May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win;
And may they forget the channel, seeing only Him.

Kate B. Wilkinson