My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
JOHN 17:15 – 16
At university, I thought I was a strong Christian simply because I didn’t do what many of my college friends did — things like getting drunk, taking drugs, or sleeping around. I was defining my Christianity by what I was not doing rather than what I should be doing. The goal of my university years should have been not only to abstain from “bad” behaviors but also to bear witness to the abundant life of God living in me.
When Jesus said that people would see our good works and give glory to the Father in heaven, he was not talking about making religious behavior modifications but rather about displaying the fruit of an authentic Christian life. These actions flow from the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our lives and are characterized by kindness, mercy, justice, love, and compassion.
Instead of being intimidated by the darkness, I should have been the catalyst for some honest, deep communication. Then perhaps I might have influenced the choices some of my friends were making. I needed to be in their world but not of their world so that through me, God could bring lasting change to their lives.
Jesus specifically said he did not ask that his followers be taken out of the world. Quite the contrary, he said that he is sending us into the world. In the twenty-first century, this world is filled with immorality, iniquity, crime, violence, greed, chauvinism, gossip, sexism, slander, racism, and the list goes on. The world that Jesus has sent us into is not a distant, far-off land in the remote regions of the earth but the place in which all of us conduct our everyday lives: our homes, neighborhoods, schools, colleges, and workplaces.
If we are personally transformed by God’s Spirit and build a strong spiritual core, our light will shine forth brightly from a place of strength, while we remain holy in the midst of the darkness. We do not need to fear the darkness, but rather allow the light of Christ in us to dispel the darkness around us.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
How do you feel you are influencing the choices of those you encounter in your world?