A HIGHER STANDARD

A HIGHER STANDARD

II Cor. 6:17  "Therefore, come out from them and separate yourself from them, says the Lord.  Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you."  NLT

      One of the reasons why so many Christians struggle so much in the faith is because they do not take this verse seriously or they simply ignore it.  Most of us do not put much effort into separating ourselves from the world.  We don't consider the cost of becoming like the world.  We let the world influence us more than we try to influence the world.  We think enough like the world that we often don't even recognize sin when we see it or we try to excuse our behavior and think it's not so bad.  Like the world, we play the comparison game and see ourselves as being in pretty good shape in light of what others are like.

       As believers, we are not to be like the world.  Godliness and ungodliness do not mix.  We are different than most by the very nature of who we are in Christ.  We must have some guts and dare to be different.  We must quit listening to the world and letting it influence our thinking.  We are to not even touch the filth of the world. 

       The issue that all of us must address is how much like the world we have become.  Is our behavior consistent with how the Word of God tells us we should live?  Do we talk like the world or does what comes out of our mouths reflect godliness?  Do we dwell on sinful practices or do the things of God dominate our thinking?  Do we want what we want or what God wants for us?

       If we do not stand out from the crowd and live differently than the world does, we need to re-evaluate our walk with God.  You cannot be of the world and live in Christ at the same time.  A true child of God lives a holy life, pleasing and acceptable to God. He lives by a higher standard; it shows and matters.