Standing Up and Standing Out;"part 2 of Not of this World"

You are different!


The moment you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior you were "set apart".

You became "not of this world" even though you were still in it.

   Do you remember being "set apart"? Honestly I don't remember, what I do remember is there were a lot of "you CAN NOT do that anymore's" and serve God with your heart. Then I was sent out to share the good news, the Gospel of Christ to all nations. Ok..well..a...something was missing.

  For many of us that was our introduction to becoming a Christian. To be "set apart" and "not of this world" meant playtime was over it was time to be serious. (remove smile, insert serious face) We were taught we had to act different when we were in church, it was God's house. Is it any wonder that so many Christians lead a double life, the Sunday man and the Rest of the week man. We wonder why others see us as hypocrites??

  So what does it really mean to be "set apart", "not of this world"?

  Lets say your employer picked you for a special, high visibility project; with a bonus and a promotion upon the completion of your assignment/project.

  How would you feel? Would you hold your head high? Maybe have a boost of energy? Feel humbled at being picked for such an important assignment?
  That's just what happened when you accepted Jesus. He gave you the most important assignment of your life. The job/project of saving people from an eternity in hell. Loving our enemies as Christ loved us. Think about that for a minute........Wow, that is really out of this world.
  We were not sent out alone either. Jesus is walking beside us, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and God is watching over us. The Trinity. If Christ is in us who can be against us?

  I am "set apart". I am not going to follow the world into moral bankruptcy. My standards are higher then those around me because they are His standards. I will humble myself, the price that Jesus paid is beyond words. I am "set apart".

 How can we as Believers/Christians stay on the path that God has laid for us to follow? Relationship, relationship, relationship with Jesus. I have said in earlier post that you can "know" the man three houses down and not have a relationship. A relationship with Jesus makes all the difference.

 I talk to Jesus all day, guess I might look crazy sometimes but that is alright. Jesus loves me anyway. I firmly believe that if you ask for His help in every decision and follow his leading you will always be on the right path.

  Does that mean you can not go into a bar? No,.. but it does govern how you act if you are in there. Jesus had dinner with the "lower class" of people in that day. The prostitutes, the tax collectors and the poor, He held His arms open wide for them. He loved them. He was "set apart" and "not of this world"

  Brothers and sisters you ARE NOT your past, you ARE NOT the sum of all your mistakes. When you accepted Jesus you became a new person/ a new creation in His eyes. Don't allow your past experiences or mistakes make you who you are today. Jesus bled and died on the cross for those mistakes. The debt has been paid in full. We are "set apart".
 
 God Bless you all. I love all of you. I say that with an open honest heart that Jesus gave to me.