December 20, 2017. Colmesneil, TX. In The World, Not Of The World

As Christians, we are to be in, but not of, the world. Easier said than done, so how are we to accomplish it? With all the temptations thrown at us each day, how are we expected to resist the bigger house, fancy car, lavish vacations, cruises, better job with more benefits, luxury restaurants, trendy clothes, opulent casinos and resorts, or a host of other lures, advertised specials and once in a lifetime opportunities?
The answer is to "just say no" to every one of them and say "yes to Jesus". I repeat.....easier said than done......but it can be done, and still be the recipient of "life, and life more abundant". We have multiple choice to make every day and what we decide will determine out worldly status as "in" or "of". I don't advocate becoming a monk or joining a convent, although for some, that may be a possible choice. I do advocate being selective in our choices so that even if we do make an of the world choice, we see the ministry opportunities afforded us by such a choice. We can always be a source of salt and light in the new job, upscale neighborhood, European vacation or our seating section at the football stadium. Remember Who is the source of our blessings and in a humble and gracious fashion, give Him the credit and glory for the abundance we have.
The other option is to be content with what we have, love God, love others and accept the good, bad, sunshine, showers, health and misfortunes as gifts from God to be humbly and graciously accepted and shared, giving Him credit and glory for everything we have. The choice is ours, His promises and hope for the future are real, and in all things, God is Good, and worthy of our trust and faith and praise. We weren't promised a rose garden when we "signed on", just the flowers, the thorns and the need for some effort to help the garden grow. For some, a gardener was part of the "package".......for others the gardener is us. Put God first, honor Jesus as our Lord and Savior, be Spirit-led in all we do in the world.......and always give thanks.



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