Conforming. Changing to fit in to what’s popular. The Bible says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”[Romans 12:2]. Jesus told us that He is the truth, not custom, and not what’s always popular. Ephesians 5:1a says, “Be imitators of God.” So, to be like God, we should share the truth, not just go with the flow and do what’s ‘cool’. God guarantees us 3 things: eternal life for those who confess, forgiveness for those who ask, and persecution in some degree. He never said that it would be easy; in fact He told us it would be hard. And it is hard. But having the religious freedom that we have in America makes it much less hard. Yes, there still are hardships, but compared to other countries, it’s not that horrible. Countries that do not have the freedom to worship in the ways that they want make it very difficult for the people there to learn about Christianity. Living in fear of major persecution by the government makes people hesitant to learn about God. Some people still take a leap of faith and learn about God. And the saddest part is, people in countries like China, where Christians are tortured and murdered, are sometimes more open and willing to preach about Jesus than many of our safe Americans. People in foreign countries are killed for praying over a meal. In America, how many times do we forget to pray over a meal? Or whenever we think about it, we don’t care because it’s “no big deal”? We should be thankful for being able to pray without the fear of torture or death. In other countries, people are thrown in jail for thanking God for the beautiful day just because they mentioned His name. How often do we not thank God for the little things in life, like the beautiful day and the sun? Or we complain because it’s just not the ‘perfect’ day. In some foreign countries, people watch in horror as their friends are burned at the stake for trying to share their Christian faith. How often are we embarrassed to even mention the name ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’ to our friends because we don’t want to be made fun of? The choice lies within each person – to live God’s way, or to live the popular way. ♥