I remember when I first became a teacher. I would begin my day with prayers inviting the Lord to help me show everyone that He lived in me and through me. Then, I would end the prayer by asking the Lord to send His angels to guard and protect my students and me. I did this for years. My husband will remind me daily to make sure I show everyone through my actions that I am a Christian.
Unfortunately, I was the only Christian teacher. Non-believers surrounded me. Although I tried to remain faithful, the influence of the outside world was overwhelming. Without realizing it, I was trying to be part of that ‘world’ thinking that I could change them, but I didn’t; the world was changing me instead,
Although my prayers didn’t change, I slowly began to spend less time reading the Word. I began to change the way I spoke and dressed. My husband noticed it, but I didn’t.
It was then that he reminded me of Jesus’ words in Mark 2:21-22, “
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
I wish I could tell you that I learned this lesson “once and for all” without turning back, but I didn’t. The more I tried to show the world that Jesus lived in me, the harder it became. No one wanted to hang out with a Jesus follower. I was set aside. So, what did I do? I stopped showing who I was. The new wine that was placed in the old wineskin burst, just like Jesus said it would.
Friends, no friendship or even romance, are worth our soul. Repentance means a complete change. And change means purging (purification or cleansing- Oxford Dictionary) your heart of anything that can’t coexist (exist at the same time or in the same place) with the life Jesus has called us to live.
You can’t put your new life (who you were created to be) into an old lifestyle. The inevitable (sure to happen; unavoidable) will occur. The new life will get lost as the old lifestyle; the world’s influence will drown who you were created to be.
Beloved, I don’t know if you have ever experienced something similar, or perhaps you know someone, a believer who’s struggling to fit in this world as I was many years ago. But be encouraged; Jesus can and will give us the strength to take a stand and not compromise who we are. So let’s put our lives in Jesus’ hands and let us trust that He will do what He promised to do.
Lord, thank you for your love, grace, and forgiveness. Continue to remind me who I am and who you created me to be. I was started on purpose and for a purpose. Set apart, not set aside. May my words and actions reflect who you are every moment.
In Jesus’ precious name, amen!