Different

Jesus said somewhere in one or all of the Gospels, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that it set on a hill can not be hid.”

That verse has always made me think very somberly. There is a lot of weight in those words. My mind almost instantly goes to Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The words not conformed make the word different come to mind. Am I different?

I heard my father often say if it acts like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck. Guess what? It’s a duck. That applies to the world also. If it acts like the world, talks like the world, and dresses like the world. Guess what? It’s the world.

Different. When God comes into a life he makes all things new, or different. Nothing is the same as before. The old man is gone; he’s out of style, so to speak. And the new man has come. When God comes he makes a difference. Look at the time of his thirty-three years of life. Nothing after his birth was the same as before. Nothing after his death was ever the same, because you had twelve lunatics out there preaching Christ crucified. Then, imagine, when your best man, Saul, goes out to Damascus to bring Christians back to Jerusalem in chains and the next thing you here is that Saul is out there preaching Christ’s death, burial, and resurection too. The Jews were so mad they wanted him dead. It took a while but he did die.

A difference in the lives of those who follow Christ seems almost definite. None of the apostles lives were the same after Christ came into their lives. You notice it isn’t very many times you catch them fishing after he said, “Come and follow.” When Paul recieved Jesus Christ as his Savior you don’t see him breathing threatenings and persecuting the Christians any longer. He has done away with all that.

As Christians we are to be different. We are to stand out against the ways of the world and the world itself. We do not intermingle with their ways because it would show Christ’s way isn’t any different then their way.

For example we’ll take music. Most youth groups now a days play “christian rock” music to draw unsaved people to their youth groups. Guess what their thinking. They don’t hear the words all they here is the music. It sounds the same as regular old rock music they’ve listened to their whole lives. Why should they want Christ? All your offering is the same stuff they’ve heard all their lives.

Look way back to the time of Moody, and Charles Finney. When they did a revival they attracted hundreds of people. They never played the music of the world either. They played the good, old gospel hymns. You know what, our world has never been the same since God wrought a difference by them.  Being different is a good thing.

Let us be different then the world. They don’t want what they’ve always had. They’re still going to be just as miserable as before. Therefore we need to, as Christians, show their is a marked difference between us and them. In our actions, our words, and our dress. If it acts like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck. Guess what? It’s a duck.