February 10 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
There is a desire to be different in some of us. To stand out. To not conform. This is neither good nor bad in and of itself.
But I think some just try too hard to be different and to stand out. Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t anything wrong with standing out if it’s for noble reasons. But just to be different? That begs the question: Different than what?
What if it turns out that the different you’re trying to be is what is right in God’s eyes? You may find yourself standing out in the cold defending something that goes against what, at your core, you know is right…
What if we would start by seeking what is right rather than just to be different? Don’t fret, it’ll give you plenty of opportunity to stand out or be different.
This is what the Corinthian church failed to do when it was found giving approval to behavior that even the decadent world around them could not condone.
When the True North moral compass of a church is so twisted, a reset needs to happen in many ways. And this is kind of what this letter to the Corinthian church is. A call to reset. Maybe a strengthening of our magnets toward Jesus is in order. After all, if the light is dark, the darkness is indeed very dark. {Matthew 6:22,23}
We can’t expect secular governments to speak out for what is morally right. But even the world expects the Church to speak up for what is morally right, even when they don’t agree with it (for now). Our silence shouts loudly and puts us behind the proverbial eight ball on issues. The Church should always be expected to speak up. If we do not speak up and out on the morality of issues, from God’s perspective, how else will people trying to make informed decisions about life hear what God intends for them?
When the church begins approving of things that are wrong, we are no longer being the salt or light we are called to be in the world. {Philippians 1:9,10}
Oh and don’t worry, we don’t need to look for ways to stand out, they will find us.
Comments