“that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” Philippians 2:15 NKJV
As small as a match stick is, if lit in a dark room, it immediately grabs the attention of everyone. It is visible and distinct. Jesus describes the believer in this manner reminding us that we are different from the world and we must act like it (Matthew 5:14).
The present world can be likened to Babylon in the Bible where Daniel and his friends lived in exile (Daniel 1:6). Babylon represents a place of rebellion against the things of God. It is a perfect depiction of the world today full of vile and corruption.
These Israelites were surrounded by so many contradictions and situations that threatened to shake their faith but we see Daniel and his friends distinguishing themselves from the Babylonians, holding firmly to their faith and remaining true to themselves.
Today, there are several contradictions surrounding the believer. We live in a dark world but we must preserve ourselves from the perversion that has been normalised by the world. Like Daniel who proposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king’s meat (Daniel 1:8), we must be determined not to live like the world simply because we live in it.
We cannot transform a world that we are conformed to (Romans 12:2). We must stand out and shine our light for the world to see, in this way we will point the unsaved to Christ and glorify our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16).
If you carefully reflect, you will discover just how subtle the influences of the world are. The devil will come to you like he did Jesus, asking you to turn stone to bread as though he cares about your welfare (Matthew 4:3).
You must be discerning, able to tell the good from the seemingly good and guarding your heart diligently. You must also be firm and resolute, determined to obey God even if it is just you and your family who are willing to, like in the days of Noah.
Finally, you must stay praying and renewing your mind with the Word of God. Do not feed the flesh more than your spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). There are so many distractions in the world but a heart that is stayed on God can surmount them all.
Dear believers, our mandate is to represent Christ to the world, to do this, we must hold firmly to what we profess.
Bible Reading Plan: Isaiah 49-53