All of us are different from each other in many ways. However, when we are radically different, we stick out like a sore thumb. I’ve been there, and it can be uncomfortable, yet it can also be very enlightening. If we are a Christian, we should feel very uncomfortable in many situations in this world. After all, this world is not our home. Peter refers to us in I Peter 2:11, as strangers or pilgrims in this world, and in Hebrews 11:13 the Saints that died in the faith made it clear they were citizens of another world.
I Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”
Hebrews 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.“
The closer we draw to Christ the more we will feel out of place being with those who don’t know Him and participating in the activities of the world. As we grow in our walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit that dwells within us will help us to distinguish what is right and wrong. For instance, when I am around those who use God’s name in vain it feels as if their words are piercing through my soul. They are using the name of the one I love the most in a degrading way. It hurts and makes me want to take a stand stronger for Christ. I have spoken out many times. However, my stand meant nothing to them. His name is just another word. Out of respect for me, they have refrained from future use of words that are offensive to me, but their heart was not changed.
I am “out of place” in this world, but that’s a good thing. There was a time in my life when I felt right at home in this world. As that person, I was an enemy of God, and as a citizen of this world, I was lined up with the values of this world and the prince of this world, the devil. Those who are not reconciled to God may not want to think of themselves as God’s enemy and the devil’s allies, but that is what they are.
In John chapter 8, we see Jesus seeking to convince the Jews of who they really follow. They hated Jesus and were so blinded by their own pride they couldn’t recognize Him as the Messiah sent from God the Father. Jesus tells them they are of their father, the devil. As a child of the devil, they follow the path he has laid out for them. A path of sin that feeds the lust of the flesh. This is the realm of life most of our world lives in. Self-confidence, self-love, self-esteem, and selfish desires of the flesh are the motivating factors that people use to move forward.
John 8:42-44 “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
Many Christians are still influenced by the way others value them. It’s almost as if they seek dual citizenship. As long as Christians try to live this way, they will continue to struggle and be miserable, because God’s desire is that we find our value in Him and how he views us, not what others think. That is not where joy, peace, and the love of Christ dwells.
Jesus made it possible for us to be reconciled with God. He made it possible for us to have a glorious future. One that is far, far, beyond anything this world can offer. The more we love Him and appreciate what He has done for us, the more we will understand that we are on a mission in this world for Him. We are a stranger here, an ambassador, a citizen of another country. We have been made heirs of God. Don’t allow the glimmer and glitz of this world to dim your view of Heaven. Stay focused and be happy you don’t fit in with this world. Be different and thrilled that you are different!
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