You’re Not Like Everybody Else… (and other things we like to hear)

WE HAVE SPENT YEARS celebrating the uniqueness of the individual. We frown on anything “conventional”… from produce to world-views. In fact, the currency for intellectual respect is overwhelmingly measured in “open-mindedness,” “thinking outside the box,” and “challenging traditional views.” What a compliment it is to be told that we “think for ourselves.” And, of course, this concept is one of America’s main exports around the world.

It seems like we have a programmed need to feel like we stand out from the masses… How many stars do you have on YOUR tracking chart? When we boo on consumerism, here’s your star of moral superiority for going to live in the woods and refusing to wear shoes. When we boo on small-town simplicity, here’s your star of sophistication for seeking out a cosmopolitan city to shape your mind. When we boo on big oil, here’s your star of global citizenship for hugging a tree. It doesn’t matter what it is… the conventional way of looking at something is almost always wrong and small-minded. That’s why being “progressive” is so popular among the “educated.”

By the same token, I don’t think it’s much different from the person that finds a sense of superiority in pointing out the speck in people’s eyes. Don’t get me wrong–it is our DUTY to speak up for the truth. But there is a difference between standing up for what is right and standing up to convict or condemn others.  That’s not our job. Yet, I sometimes find myself in circles where the conversation comes down to “us and them.”

• They are not true Christians
• They don’t get it like we do
• They are lazy Christians, etc.

What am I saying? That we need to stop using our judgment and just say “to each, his own”? Never. But we can’t be so zealous for truth that we forget compassion and kindness for others. Sometimes we need to remind each other that we were once the lost. We were once in a fog. And by no means am I saying, “Look at us now!” But if we ever find ourselves with an attitude of superiority, regardless of what our beliefs are, we need to repent, ask God to forgive us, and ask Him to renew our hearts.

Truth, yes, but with love. Straightforwardness, yes, but with humility. Rebuking different gospels, yes, but with compassion for those who are misguided. Our motives needs to remain pure, even when we are met with sarcasm, cynicism, and apathy.

I think that sometimes we are so indoctrinated to show at all cost how much we are DIFFERENT, that we don’t realize we end up doing a disservice to the Kingdom of God. The goal is not to demonstrate that we are right. It’s not to win an argument. The goal is to grow in our relationship with our Lord Jesus-Christ so that we may be used for His glory.

Let’s not be different for the sake of being different. Let’s be different because we are servants of God and glorify HIM, instead of ourselves with our sophisticated, outside-the box way of thinking.

And if Jesus is not your Lord, my dear friend, in all loving kindness, I need to tell you that you are a slave to sin. It is said that there is no better slave than he who doesn’t realize he’s a slave. If you’re not serving God, you are serving Satan, whether or not you know it. Don’t be lazy–take the time to find out whether or not what I am telling you is true. Because EVERYTHING is at stake. Repent and turn away from sin. God WILL forgive you and He WILL give you true life to replace your dead one. It’s the whole reason Jesus took our place on the cross. God does not want to see anyone perish, but it’s our choice.

JESUS IS LORD!

And He is coming back!

Amen!