In but not of

Unless you plan on moving to Mars or Jupiter in the near future, I am going to assume that you live on Earth. I am also going to assume that you live in America for the purpose of this blog post.

In John 15:19 it says, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." If we follow Christ, we no longer belong to this world. We are in, but not of.

Think about it this way - an exchange student comes to America. They are IN America, there's no question about that. But they are not OF America. They are not part of the culture, it is not native or normal to them. They might not understand the whole thing, or they might, but either way, they are only IN but not OF America. At the end of their stay they will return to the country they came from which they call home.

The same is true of Christians. We are in this world, but we should not be of it. The traditions, fads, and styles of this world should seem foreign to us.

As John 15:19 says, "you do not belong to the world.... that is why the world hates you." The world loves those who follows it's styles and trends and those who belong to it. The world loves it when we crave money over relationships, because that is what the world encourages. But we cannot serve both God and money; we cannot serve both God and the world.

America has created something called the American Dream. You get a good job, buy a sweet house, get rich quick, and have the good life. But look at the lives of those who love love love God with all their hearts - they go overseas and risk their lives to spread the Gospel, they love with no hesitation, they pour out their hearts to those who need to be saved.

A definition of the American Dream I found online says: "the belief that in the United States hard work and persistence will reap a financially secure, happy, and healthy life, with upward social mobility". But as Christians our work should not be to reap a happy healthy life but to reap the kingdom of Heaven!

The World encourages us to love ourselves, but God wants us to love others. The world wants us to love our money but God wants us to store up riches in Heaven. One cannot serve two masters. God calls us to be in, but not of, the world.