God was showing me some interesting stuff today. It's been hard to represent Christ here in Maine, and that has affected a lack of boldness on my part. But the Holy Spirit's been showing me a way out: humor.
"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 marvelous light"
1 Peter 2:9
See, as a Christian, it's OK to be different. We are supposed to be different! And once we realize that death to self has already occurred (Col. 3:3) and get past the fears induced by self-preservation (which is really just rooted in selfishness), it becomes FUN to be different!
It's nice to know that we're chosen, but how do we react to this truth? The second half of the above verse says that God's purpose in election is this:
...that we should hew forth the praises of Him who called us into true life.
No matter where we are or who we're around, we're called to proclaim His goodness, His Marvelous Light. We're called to appear to others as different, as strange, as unorthodox, as weird, as peculiar! You can expect that not everyone will understand you (John 1:5)-- but that's OK!
God was showing me today that it's fun to break free from societal norms. It's fun to have Him put you on display (1 Cor. 4:9). It's fun to be made a spectacle and object of attention that emanates otherworldly. It's basically like living out inside joke that just you and the Holy Spirit are in on. Doesn't that sound fun?
The key to realizing all this is union with Messiah (John 15:2 and context). We were made for more than an average life; we were made for more than superficial material gain or arbitrarily scheduled schedules. The Holy Spirit cannot be contained by our own purposes or plans (Isaiah 55:9). The Holy Spirit delights in being radical (Proverbs 8:31), and so can you!
No comments:
Post a Comment