Live The Difference
That’s it – the whole crux of the matter – As much as it matters
WHAT we “believe” – it’s what we DO with what we believe
that counts. If we’re not different, will anyone notice? We can say we
really believe it and we do believe, but you know what? The devil
believes it too. It makes a big difference whether we’re living it
or not. The devil doesn’t really care if you come to church 5 days
a week, if you leave and walk through those doors and you’re no
different than when you came in. He gets shook up when we decide to
do something about what we believe.
“Can’t we just believe what the Word of God says and just live
our own lives the way we want? Why do we have to DO something?
Why do we have to be different?” Let’s look at Malachi for our answers.
Malachi 3:18, “Then you will again see the difference between the
righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who
do not." NLT You will again SEE the
difference. There has to be a difference between those who serve God
and those who don’t serve God. Malachi wasn’t talking to those who
didn’t know God. He was talking to the children of God and he was
saying there’s going to be difference between those who are actually
serving God and those who just say that they’re serving God. It does
matter whether you’re really going to serve Him or just be mouthy.
Nobody likes a mouthy person. God doesn’t either. He wants us to do
something with what He’s given us.
“
If our Christianity is ever going to 'make a difference' in this world
– then we must consistently LIVE that difference in our everyday lives.
”
Let’s look at another scripture that says the same thing. 2 Cor.
6:3 “try and live in such a way that no one will be hindered from
finding the Lord by the way we act and so no one can find fault with
our ministry.” No one will be hindered from finding the Lord –
ever again because of the way I act. No one’s going to walk away from
God because I said or did something stupid; because I just wanted to
go out and be like the world for a weekend. “I can come back to God
later – He’ll forgive me.” Yeah, you can – you can be forgiven; you
can say, “God, I’m sorry.” But you know what, you might have sent
someone else to hell during your “fun” weekend. “Live in such a way
that no one will be hindered from finding the Lord by the way we act.”
Why is it important to live differently? Because someone else’s
eternity is at stake here! It’s not about just you anymore. It’s not
about just me anymore. We have a responsibility to God – to ourselves
– and to every other person we come in contact with.
Two scriptures aren’t enough for you? How about another one? Phil.
2:15 Live as “children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved
generation in which they shine like stars of the universe.” We know
this generation – our culture – is depraved. It’s bombarding us all the
time. But I’ve got a question. If we would surround ourselves with the
things of God – with the word of God – as much as we are bombarded with
the world, what would happen? Imagine a place where you’re driving down
the road and every billboard is a scripture; imagine turning on a TV
show and you can’t get away from scriptural principles or you have a
sitcom where people act Godly or handle situations in a Godly manner
– where the truths of God are lifted up and where God actually helps
people. Image a world where, guys, you don’t walk past a girl in this
outfit and there’s more “out” than “fit.” The deal is – we don’t catch
– we don’t even see – how much the world throws at us. Magazines,
catalogues, Wal-Mart fliers – it’s “normal” with our culture – It’s
not normal with God. But we just accept it because it’s the way things
are. Well, let’s go back and raise the standard and change the way things
are! “Live as children of God without fault.” That’s kind of a
high standard: we don’t do anything wrong – we got a 100% on our
paper – perfect score – without fault.
If our Christianity is ever going to “make a difference” in this world
– then we must consistently LIVE that difference in our everyday
lives. We can’t just live it for a weekend at ATF. It’s not hard there.
We can’t just live it on a 2 or 4 week mission trip. It’s not hard there!
They make it easy on the mission field. They make you have a quiet time.
We don’t get a choice. You don’t get a choice to watch TV – there isn’t
one to watch. It’s when we have to make the choice whether or not to
hit the snooze button or get up and read our Bibles. That’s when the
choice gets difficult – every day – when we get up. Does knowing Jesus
make a difference in our day to day lives?
The world must see a difference in us before they’ll desire to be
like us. We must first get their attention – We MUST BE DIFFERENT!
The people who know that you’re a Christian expect to see a difference in
you. When you don’t deliver the goods they’re disappointed. Because they
want somebody to stand up and actually live what they say they believe.
They won’t want to be like us if they don’t see us live like God.
In order to stay different and not let the world’s system and
culture affect our lives, we must Guard Our
Hearts.
[Raise-Live-Guard]
[Raise the Standard]
[Guard Your Heart]
[The Bottom Line]
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