TITLE:THE PRICE OF BEING A STANDARD
Memorise: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 2 Corinthians 6:17
Read: 2nd
Corinthians 6:14-18, Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 19:16-20:26, Mark
14:53-15:5
To become a standard or a positive reference point, there is a price to
pay. Going though the Bible, one will see that all those who got outstanding
approval from God had at least one thing in common, which is that they stood
out for God before they became a reference point. One of such Bible heroes is
Elijah. He stood out for God on Mount Carmel. He risked being killed by the
numerous prophet of Baal whom he had challenged. As a matter of fact, he was
considered to be Public Enemy No. 1 by the ruler of his day, Ahab (1st
Kings 21:20)
Another Bible hero is Daniel. He stood out alongside three other young
Hebrew men in order to be outstanding and thus became a standard. Several
times, he risked being killed because of his stand for goodliness. He knew his
God and would not compromise his allegiance to Him. On one occasion, a degree
forbade everybody from praying to God, but he put his life at risk by praying.
He showed that he was different from every other person. The Bible says he did
not go into hiding to pray; rather, he opened his windows and prayed three
times a day until he was found out (Daniel 6:10). He disobeyed the malicious
decree, which his malicious fellow presidents made King Darius to sign. One
striking thing in this story was statement of these presidents in Daniel 6:5:
“Then said these men, We shall not find any
occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law
of his God.”
The question is: if it becomes a crime to be faithful disciples of
Jesus Christ, will you be found guilty? It is unfortunate that Christians are
steadily losing their virtue as salt and the light in this world of darkness.
Christians are no longer setting the standard for godly, virtuous living. They
are allowing this corrupt world to overwhelm them, failing to realise that the
state of corruption they are witnessing today was predicted in the Bible so
long ago t prepared us to meet its challenges (2nd Timothy 3:1-5).
This is the reason why in today’s Bible reading. God commands us to come out
from among evildoers, particularly false brethren. This is part of the price of
being a standard; you must stand out and not conform to this world (Romans
12:2). May the Lord give you the grace to obey in Jesus Name.
Action point: Watch out for the evil deeds of this world and try to separate yourself
from doing them. You will soon be noticed as different, and you will become a
standard to the glory of God.
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