When I am coaching people in my work, I remind them that today we have a crisis all around us. Leaders don’t look any different, they don’t talk any different, they don’t dress any different, and they don’t live any different. Leaders don’t appear different from the people they lead.
For example, some parents who don’t act much different than their kids. Some churches don’t act any different from the unchurched. And worst of all, some believers don’t act or live any different than those who are unbelievers. We have a mess.
Many of us, even many churches, believe that believers should not make others feel uncomfortable by being different. For sure, we should not make another person feel uncomfortable around us simply because we believe we are better people. We are no better than they are. Yet believers are called to represent a better life.
Believers are called to chase after God and to be chased by God. Believers are called to be transformed from a life of self. Believers are called to the love of God instead of the love of things. This says a lot. We should not live to be unlike others, but we should live to be unlike our old selves.
Our lives should not make others uncomfortable being themselves. Instead, we should make them uncomfortable not being better than they are.
In Luke 6:27-35, Jesus tells us how we should look and how we should not look. Verse 27 calls us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. Verse 28 calls us to bless those who curse us and to pray for those who spitefully use us. Verse 30 calls us to give to those who have need and never to ask for things back from him who takes from us. Verse 31 tells us just as we want others to do to us, we should do that to them.
Finally, verse 33 explains the reason for all these commands. If we love those who love us, if we do good to those who do good to us, what benefit is it to us? Even sinners do the same things.
If we are doing the same things that others do, how will anyone know us for the transforming of God in our lives? If we say what they say, if we love who they love, if we give like they give, then how is that different? Yet we are called to live a different life.
We should do what others would not expect us to do. We should love our enemies because it’s unlikely our enemies will love their enemies. We should bear with those who hate us and use us because it is not likely a person who hates another will bear with that person.
Others may lend expecting the same and more in return, but we should give expecting nothing in return. God wants us to stop living like we have not been changed at all. If we are nothing unlike the persons we were yesterday, perhaps we are nothing unlike the unbelievers around us.
Let’s learn to live the unlike lives God calls us to live. Our reward is in heaven, and it comes to us from the Lord. We do not have to have all that the world believes is right for us because we should be living a life unlike the lives people of the world live.
Live a Delivered Life. Love you.
Live Delivered 