15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
John 17:15-19
Sanctification
The generic meaning of sanctification is "the state of proper functioning." To sanctify someone or something is to set that person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer.
Disney
vacations. Language that blends in with our unsaved friends and acquaintances. Watching
TV shows and movies with “adult” content or language. Listening to music that
glorifies sex and violence. Allowing your children to do the same. Laughing at
off-color jokes or even telling them. Speeding along the highway with the rest
of “traffic”. Giving a wink and a nod to our accountant at tax time. Stretching
the truth about a product to make a sale. Focusing on money, possessions and
power. Neglecting your family to achieve those things. Ignoring the poor.
Seeking pleasure first rather than seeking the Kingdom of God.
If you’re a truly saved
Christian and any of these things describe you, even a little bit, you need to
stop and assess where you’re commitment to Christ is.
Let’s face it brothers and
sisters, once we are saved, we don’t belong to the world anymore. We belong to
Christ who bought us, redeemed us with His very life. He gave everything He had
on this planet for you, to set you apart, to make you different. Accept that
fact! As a Christian you ARE different from the unsaved world. Once you are
saved, your King is Jesus. The unsaved are ruled by the prince of this world,
satan.
Now I’m not saying, as
Christians we are better than others. Not at all. We don’t occupy a higher
level of humanity. We aren’t to look down at the unsaved. As a matter of fact,
we should weep for the unsaved. We should ask God to help us reach the unsaved.
If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn’t you shout it to the world? To those
you love, even to strangers? Of course you would. How much more important is
someone’s spiritual health and their place in eternity than their physical
health?
But if we’re just like
everyone else. If we don’t stand out from the crowd, if we don’t seem different
from society, then we won’t attract those who are lost, seeking, hurting. No
one will listen to us. Our witness for Christ will be dead and our witness is
all we have to lead people to Christ. No one wants to listen to someone tell
them about the life saving Gospel, if their life doesn’t reflect that Gospel.
Why should they? Think about it. If someone came to you espousing this great, lifesaving
lifestyle, but then went off and ignored the main and most important tenets of
that lifestyle, would you take them seriously? No. I think you can agree you’d
ignore them completely. They would have no credibility.
That is why we say, we are “in
the world, but not of the world”. People shouldn’t have to do a “Find Waldo” to
see us in a crowd.
Jesus is coming back. It’s
going to happen. It’s going to be the next great event of humanity when our
LORD and Savior comes back for us. And yet, it will be the scariest for those
who rejected Him.
Time is running out friends.
Right now is the time to stand out. To accept your “weirdness” and “foolishness”.
Being weird and foolish for Christ is necessary. It’s a good thing because our
Father doesn’t see us as weird or as a fool. He sees us as His children and He
has work for us to do. We need to get about the Father’s business today. Right
now!
It is time to stand out. To
shout to those around you that you know of a great cure! If they are hurting or
lost or even if they think God could never love them, you know the One who will
change them! Change their lives. Change their eternity! Make them a new
creature with hope. Hope in the One true and loving God. We need to stand out even
those who reject the notion that there is a God or who embrace a faith that is
leading them away from the very Creator of the universe.
I don’t have the knowledge,
strength or courage to stand out. I can’t stand against the tide of resistance
to God in the world. I can’t afford to lose friends, family, things in my life.
I’m afraid to stand out. I want to blend in.
Let me tell you friends. I’m
not strong. I’m not courageous. I have no ability to stand firm against the
resistance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don’t want to lose friends or
family or things. And our Father knows this. He knows my weaknesses. But,
through strength, knowledge and courage that He gives me through the Holy
Spirit I can do anything. I can say words I didn’t even know I had in me. I can
approach someone I never thought I could and say things I never thought would
come out of my mouth. I can write things that I never thought to write about.
I’ve come to the realization
that even if I lose everything I have, everything and everyone, comparing that
to eternity in Heaven, well, there just is no comparison.
So, today, pray and ask God
to help you stand out in the crowd. Ask Him to give you the knowledge, courage,
words, boldness to tell someone about His Son Jesus and the life He’s given
you.
Don’t blend in. Stand out for
Christ!
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