Wednesday

Option 3: Your Culture

"…the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living."

Joshua gives this challenge after the Israelites had conquered the Canaanite people. These people were pushed back, overcome, conquered, yet continued to be a thorn in the Israel's side for the rest of the Old Testament. What is worse, their gods were a constant temptation for the Israelites. These gods had home field advantage, so to speak. They were indigenous and deeply rooted in the society. The Israelites encountered them at every turn. The worship of these gods was so ingrained that it seemed natural and harmless.

And we face the gods of or culture every day. There are many that are hiding in plain sight that we often don't recognize because they're so common. Paul's advice to the early Christians remains true for us: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2a). The pattern of this world is describing the gods of this age. To "go with the flow" is to be squeezed into the mold of the world around us.

What would you say are the chief gods of our culture?

How can you confront these gods by "renewing your mind"?