And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. (KJV)
Christians work at gas stations, banks, and schools. We cheat, get divorced, and abuse alcohol. Some of us drive trucks, while others drive minivans. We use cell phones and drugs. In short, there are those who call themselves Christians who do the same things, good and bad, that everyone else in our culture does.
Where do you draw the line? Most of us enjoy our communities. I love the city and state where we live, and I am quite happy to be an American. Because I enjoy my communities, the large and the small, it is easy for me to think that the patterns of life in those communities are good. It becomes natural for me to think, act, and speak like those around me.
God reminds us in this verse that the ways of life of our workplace, our neighborhood, and our country are not the ways of life for those who follow Him. He has called us to be salt and light in the world (see Matthew 5:13-14). We must stop every so often to examine our lives. Are we representatives of God in the world, or are we indistinguishable from it?
Father in heaven, forgive me when I begin to adopt the easy ways of the world around me. Strengthen me for the life of Christian faith that calls me to walk against the ways of the world rather than with them. Help me to be the salt and light You have called me to be. In the name of Jesus, my Savior, I pray. Amen.
Copyright © 2011 by Steven R. Perkins
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