Growing up, maybe you were someone that always wanted to fit in. Maybe you were someone who would rather be quiet, blend in, rather than sticking out of the crowd. I went to really big public school my entire life, which meant that people who “stood out” were often easy targets to be picked on. I, however, was loud and obnoxious and outgoing as a child. I loved making other people laugh and I always tried to get everyone to laugh. Sometimes that did get me picked on and because of that, I started to quiet myself down and shy away from any sort of attention. Maybe you’ve gone through a similar situation where someone had made you insecure so you shrink yourself or you hide part of yourself to survive.
Let’s get some facts straight: You are made fearfully and wonderfully in the perfect image of God. God loves you, everything about you. You are set apart as a child of God. There are many verses that testify that we are set apart, born to be different from the rest of the world. Different in the way we act, the things we say, how we treat others. We no longer live for ourselves, but we live for Jesus Christ who lives in us! Galations 2:20 says,
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
When we are living by faith, people can tell that there is something different about us! When we have the peace of Jesus inside of us, people can feel it. Jesus wants us to spread the Gospel and to praise Him. 1 Peter 2:9 testifies to this,
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We are chosen! We are set apart! Called to be different, not blend in with the rest of the world. As Christians, we are not supposed to be part of this world, following all the trends that change every day and paying attention to who is “cool” and who is popular in the news. Being set apart doesn’t mean we have to be the loudest in the room or do the craziest stuff to get people to pay attention to us. Being set apart means that we have a different mission than those who are not in Jesus, we are called to spread the Gospel and live our life according to the Word of God!
That makes us special. We should love more powerfully, cherish our friends more strongly, and people should be able to see and know that we have the peace of Jesus in us.
Whenever we do not act according to the Word of God, it leaves people around us with a sour taste in their mouth. When we treat people badly, we are firstly, actively sinning which separates us from God, but also, we are hurting the mission that Jesus was set out to do. When we aren’t following the Word of God, we are turning people away from Jesus instead of bringing them to Him.
Being set apart means that we are called to love passionately and serve Jesus with all of our heart. To be set apart means that we are to go out into the world every day and change the world with our smile and with the way we treat and help others. Being set apart means loving Jesus so much, the world can see it in your heart.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
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