4.29.20 - Life Changing
What if you found out today that God didn't exist and that being a Christ-follower was meaningless? How would your life change? I imagine it would be drastically different, right? You have shaped the desires of your heart and the way you spend your time and energy on Christ and His will for your life. Or have you? It would be as if a glaring star in a dark sky just went black. Or would it? Everyone would notice how much your life would have to readjust to this startling new discovery. Or would they? You would have to completely rebuild. Or would you?
Read Philippians 2:14-15. Paul explained to the believers at Philippi that they were to be blameless and pure in the way they lived. They weren't to do this merely for their own benefit but so that the world around them would see God. They lived in a world full of crooked and depraved people who looked merely to their own interests. The people in the Philippian church were supposed to shine like stars in their dark world through the way they conducted their lives. As a result, the world would be able to see the character of God and hopefully come to worship Him.
Humanity hasn't changed since the time of the early Philippian church. People are still crooked and self-centered. We, as God's people, are to have lives that look so starkly different from this world that we look like a flashlight in the middle of a dark house. This means that we'll stick out - we won't be normal. The church is supposed to look different. Christ makes a difference in our lives, and we should reflect that to the world. Is your life a bright star, or do you blend into a dark world?
Questions for Reflection
How does your life look different because of Christ?
Why is it scary to live differently than our culture expects
How can you begin to make changes in your life so that you can shine brighter, even while in quarantine?