Daily Reflections, Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Today's Scripture: James 4:4

I don’t know if you’ve noticed lately, but it seems that Christians long to be accepted by the world. The word I hear a lot of people say is “relevant,” which means we don’t want the world to look on us as weird because of the way we live. This has caused many to stop living according to the Bible.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should intentionally try to be weird. The Bible commands us to always speak the truth in love, to be gracious and to allow the love of Christ to fl ow through us.

But the hard truth is that our faith is out of step with the world. The world is at “enmity” with God. No matter how “cool” we try to be, we’ll never catch up to the culture. Jesus Himself said that the world would hate us, persecute us, and look on us differently. Nobody modeled love, compassion, and humility better than Jesus—and the world killed Him.

Instead of being “cool”, our purpose is to be a light in the darkness. How can a light shine if it blends in with the darkness?

Being a light means that you may suffer scorn. Don’t seek martyrdom, but when you’re mocked, abused, and attacked—consider it an opportunity to, in some small way, experience the sufferings of Christ.

Most of all, don’t attempt to be considered “cool” by the world. Instead, let your light shine.

Today's Quote:  No man at one and the same time can show that he himself is clever—and that Jesus Christ is mighty to save. —James Denney