November 30, 2018

Be Different

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” – Matthew 5:13

We want to be like everyone else, don’t we? We want to fit in. Even if we long for attention and accolades, we want to get along with others. We want to be liked.

But we weren’t created to blend into the crowd. We weren’t created to shine for ourselves. We weren’t created to look the other way.

If you make no effort to affect the world around you, you are of little value to God. How can the world see Him unless you are different from what it sees in everyone else?

What does that look like? It doesn’t have to mean selling everything you own and traveling to another country to be a missionary. Though it can look like that, often being different is something we do right where we are.

It can mean that we are simply kind to people. Encourage others. Offer grace. Smile. Look someone in the eye. Refuse to participate in gossip.

Being the salt can also mean refusing to remain silent when we should speak out. Do you voice your opinion when you see someone being mistreated? Do you speak up for the poor? Do you defend the single Mom struggling to work and care for her children? Are you quick to criticize or are you quick to help?

We don’t do God any good when we are more interested in going along with the crowd than in doing what He has called us to do. We also don’t help Him when we’re so focused on our own political views, our own bank accounts, our own lives, that we miss what His Word clearly says.

How often do your actions deny Him? Think about it. When you gossip, you’re denying Him. When you refuse to show mercy, you’re denying Him. When you cling to His gifts, you’re denying Him. When you make excuses for not doing what He has called you to do, you’re denying Him.

We also sin when we don’t share our faith with others. Is it because we truly don’t know what to say or because we don’t want to be bothered? What if we didn’t try and make it so complicated? What if we merely told people our story? What if we simply shared our faith with others without judging or criticizing? And what if we just started with an invitation to an event, a service, a gathering?

There are so many hurting people in the world. People are hungry. I’m not talking about people who live in other countries or who refuse to work. I’m talking about the elderly or those working two or three jobs and trying to support themselves, their children and sometimes their parents. Do you know how expensive a major illness can be? Insurance only covers part of the cost. What are you doing to help?

When we go along with the crowd, when we refuse to be bothered by the lost or hurting, we’ve lost our effectiveness as God’s chosen people. Stand out. Stand up. Live boldly for Christ. Dare to be different.