Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
This is a thought or comment we often extend, generally as a passing statement. We look to passages such as 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light,” and point out the importance of being different from others but let’s look at it deeper. Do I actively seek to be different from the world? Am I putting forth a conscious effort to view things in a Godly manner?
We certainly are in the world and exposed to many sinful things each and every day. However, we can be exposed to all the wonderful things God has provided. The choice is mine. Which am I giving my time and attention to? We have His Word, His beautiful creation, time that can be spent with family or loved ones, and periods of fellowship and worship with our fellow Christians, just to name a few that have been given to bless our lives. Actively seeking that which is beneficial is the only means of obtaining what is needed. I must focus my energy on the right things (Prov 8:17). Otherwise, I will find myself focused on those things that trouble our faith and lead us in paths we don’t want to go (Titus 3:8-9).
It is needful to be reminded that Jesus did not suffer the cross that we could live as the ungodly do (Titus 2:14). The precious blood of the Saviour demands one makes earnest effort to strive for and always consider what he or she must do to live as God would have us live while here on earth. I have often found, no matter how busy we are , how tired we might become, we always find a way to do those things that are important to us. I will always be looking for something different from the world if I have the correct priorities (Matt 6:25-34).
A great way to accomplish this objective of always looking for something different is to learn self awareness (2 Cor 13:5). Sometimes in life we get stuck in a rut or just going through the motions. Living in view of eternity will always keep us striving for and looking to things different than those so important to the worldly mind (John 6:27).
By Jason Barger