In the world but not of the world
Which world do you live in? Have we ever asked another person that question? Have you ever been asked that question? It is a question that provokes many other questions. The main meaning that screams out at first is, conform! Do what other people do, lie like other people lie, slander like other people slander, bully like other people bully, abuse like other people abuse; that is, do unto others what they do to you. It is a question that aims to say, this is how the world works, this is how people are, this is how you are supposed to carry yourself. Deal with it! This tit for tat behavior is very common in the world, but it is not of God.
Not surprisingly, the same question can mean the other way round; do good, help those in need, return evil with good, love one another, cover each other's weaknesses, help each other become better, be there for each other, do not lie, do not slander, do not bully, do not abuse, and do unto others what you would like them to do to you. We are to love one another as God loves us. It does not mean we do not know how evil the world is, it means we choose to do good. We are instructed to defeat evil with good, that is how the kingdom of God works.
Before Jesus left He prayed to the Father for His Disciples, "I Am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I Am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth" John 17:15-17.
This applies to everyone of us who love God. God and His angels are with us every step of the way.
We come to realize that the motive behind the question is what is important; motive is very important. Behind every word or action, there is a motive, whether we know it or not, and whether consciously or in the subconscious. Two people can say the same thing and it is interpreted in a different manner. That shows that even the motive of the person listening or watching is as important as that of the person saying the word or doing something. It all comes back to: what is the condition of your heart? Is it right with God or not? This is because this greatly affects our interpretation of things.
We have been deceived into believing and living as if this world is our home. It is not! The Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful.
The heart is more deceitful than all else and desperately sick; Who can understand it? 'I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind; even to give to each man according to his ways; according to the results of his deeds. He who makes a fortune unjustly is like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay. In the middle of his days his riches will abandon him, so in the end he will be a fool. Jeremiah 17:9-11.
Anything done or acquired the wrong way does not last, neither does it satisfy nor does it bring peace. Only God gives meaning to life.
We are told not to conform to the patterns of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is what enables us to test and approve God's will. God gives us a new heart and a new mind. We align our will with His will in accordance to His Word. God empowers us to do His will and accomplish what He has set before us. Through Christ we are made new creatures.
We should also pray for discernment because we meet people who do not mean what they say, people who are not good-willed; those who say one thing but their hearts are somewhere else. Only God gives us true wisdom. We are told the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men. Who devise evil things in their hearts; they continually stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; poison of a viper is under their lips. Psalm 140:1-2.
When God transforms us, we become different. He cleans our hearts and renews a steadfast spirit within us. What we come to realize is people project their thinking and interpret our words according to their thoughts. They will tell us we meant something else when we said what we said or when we did something. This is why it is important to be firmly rooted in Christ's truth.
I pray that out of the riches of His glory, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. Ephesians 3:16-18.
Jesus said that if the world hates us, we should understand that it hated Him first. If we were of the world, it would love us as its own. But, the world hates us because we are not of the world. God has chosen us out of the world. Jesus overcame, and we take heart and courage in that truth; we will also overcome. There are those who are offended by the truth, those who attack for no reason. We should always be alert and not carelessly put ourselves in harm's way. We are the light of the world. We are to lead by example, love in actions.
Let us ask God to search us, and remove any sinful traces from us.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Psalms 139:23.
As we become established in God, He will mature us and give us discernment.
Everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their sensibilities to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:13-14.
God loves us. His way is the only way that leads to life. In Christ, we have the assurance of eternal life with God. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Blessings.
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