DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

Has anyone ever called you an oddball? Or said that you were weird or strange? If you are a Christian then you can probably answer yes to this question. To the world there is something strange about the Christian. They cannot comprehend a person who does not take pleasure in all of the sinful activities which they consider a vital part of the "good life." It is exactly as Peter described, "Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you." (I Pet. 4:4)

The Apostle Paul said that Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a PECULIAR people. (Tit. 2:14) The primary meaning here of the word peculiar is "special." Christians are a special people because they reject the ways of sin and death and cling to righteousness. But this also makes us odd.

The Lord told us what we must do to make ourselves acceptable to Him. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." (II Cor. 6:17) Clearly we must be distinct from the world, but in what way? The world is full of liars, thieves, murderers, drunkards, sexually immoral people, and people who practice all manner of evil. It is our duty, as Christians, to separate ourselves from all of these sinful ways. We cannot be partakers of these things and still be a child of God.

We should not go out of the way to make ourselves strange, but we have to accept the fact that being a Christian automatically makes us different. We have to live and work in the world, but we don't have to be part of it.

Today one of the biggest pressures we feel from society is to try to conform to a model of behavior which is deemed as acceptable and appropriate. This message is especially strong for our children. Most parents have to face almost daily requests by their children to buy them something which "everyone else" already has.

Today kids are expected to wear the right tennis shoes, the right blue jeans, the right shirts. To watch the right T.V. shows and movies, to listen to the right music, to have the right video games, and the list goes on. If a kid doesn't have all of these things other kids will ridicule him and he may be ostracized from a group that he wants desperately to belong to.

How do most parents react to this? The vast majority are far too indulgent with their children and this is what has caused the whole problem in the first place. Many parents will buy little Johnny that $150 pair of tennis shoes so he can be like his friends, even if it stretches the family budget a little bit.

There is nothing wrong, in principle, with giving your child nice things if you can afford them. But there is something much more important going on here than most parents realize. What is little Johnny learning when he sees his parents sacrifice to buy him those expensive tennis shoes? Is he learning that his parents love him? Perhaps? But I'll tell you what he definitely is learning. He's learning that fitting in is very important, and that it is alright to devote a great deal of time, effort and money so that you can have what everyone else has.

Then when Johnny gets a little older and begins to smoke, or drink, or take drugs, like some of his friends are doing, his parents are heartbroken and simply can't understand it. They know they taught him that these things were wrong all of his life. So why did Johnny abandon what his parents taught him? He didn't! They sent him two very contradictory signals and he was forced to make a choice between them.

Have you ever heard the saying that actions speak louder than words? Yes, Johnny's parents TOLD him these things were wrong. But they SHOWED him how important it was to fit in, and that's all he is doing, fitting in with his friends. We must show our children from an early age that we cannot conform ourselves to the world. If we fail to do this, then that is exactly what they will do, regardless of what instructions we have given them.

At all costs we must take a stand for what is right. Regardless of the attitudes or actions of others, we must stand firm on the truth of God. It may sometimes cost us friends and even family to do this. Although this may seem a difficult thing, Jesus said it is actually a wonderful things for us. "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets." (Luk. 6:22-23)

When you stop and think about it the Bible is filled with stories of strange and peculiar men. Men like Noah, Job, Abraham, Elijah, Daniel, and especially Christ. They were all odd by the world's standards. But the world's standards are not what counts. Just as these men of antiquity have done, we must reject the conventional wisdom of this world and dare to be different.