Be Different

You don't have to fit in.

In fact, we, as Christians, are not supposed to fit in with the rest of the world. We are supposed to be different.

As Paul told the Romans, we are not to conform to the pattern of this world. What pattern? The pattern of sin. Immorality, idolatry, greed, envy, arrogance . . . It's a long list, and yes, it is a pattern. A well established, oft-repeating pattern.

One we are not to be part of.

We are supposed to be differnt.

For some, that's easy. Some people like to stand out, be different, get noticed. Others want to blend in with the scenery. Neither is inherently wrong--or right. What matters is doing the right thing for the right reason.

The Pharisees liked to be noticed. They went out of their way to be different with their clothes, their  mannerisms, their speech and even their prayers. The problem was their motivations. Arrogance. Greed. Idolatry.

They were different all right. For all the wrong reasons.

Then we have Peter who, usually, was the guy who stood out in a crowd. Loud, opinionated, and often impulsive, he didn't seem to mind being in the spotlight. Until it mattered. When it came time to stand up for what he believed at the trial of Jesus, Peter did everything he could to blend in. Even denying knowing Christ.

He gave in. He conformed. He tried not to be different.

Both of those are examples of the pattern of the world.

Be different like Paul was different.

In Acts 14, Paul healed a crippled man. The crowds saw what happened, decided Paul was a god, and tried to offer sacrifices to him. Now a guy could go far in a town who thought he was a god, but Paul didn't want to be different in that way, so he told them the truth. It wasn't him, but God who had performed the miracles.

Know what happened? The town turned on Paul and stoned him, then dragged him out of the city presumed dead. When Paul woke up, guess what he did--walked right back into the city.

That's different.

Another time, Paul was in jail for his faith. All he had to do to get out was to offer the official a bribe (Acts 24:26), a common practice. The pattern of the world.

Paul didn't. He remained in prison for two years, not because he didn't have access to a bribe, but because he chose not to conform.

Paul was different.

The pattern of the world is sin.

Don't follow it. We cannot and should not avoid being in the world, but we can certainly resist becoming like the world.

That's going to be our topic for the week. How to live in a sinful world without conforming to its sinful patterns.

May God bless us all this week, and give us the strength to resist the temptations we face every day.

Amen.