Born to Stand Out

”Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Society loves to set norms and can, and often does, aggressively expect that people meet these norms. This is why we have so much battle over what we teach our young people. From an early age we are told to fit in to these norms. However there is a couple problems; God designed us as unique and to be in relationship with Him. He knit each of us together and the Bible states that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that He saw us while we were still being formed. We are born to stand out. Satan is attacking this by trying to silence the church and is also trying to twist God’s love by challenging identity. His desire is to rob people of their God given identity and tell them of his idea for who they should be. Furthermore he has woven lies into society that say you must accept and promote these norms if you are being loving.

As believers we are called to stand for the love of Jesus in a world that is trying to silence His message. We are not called to blend in or be silent. We are called to lay down our lives so that others can hear the message of God’s love for them. Recently my Pastor shared a message in which he stated, “the kingdom message lived out it is a kingdom life that stands out.” I found this to be a profound and powerful statement to the church. We need to stop avoiding conflict and even hiding our faith because the enemy is portraying it as unacceptable or judgemental. The world is lost and hurting and we are called to be His love in the earth. It will challenge us, stretch us and cost us.

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭4:12-14‬ ‭

Seeing that someone is walking in danger and letting them travel on is not loving. I believe that we are called to lIve the kingdom message. Jesus died to pay for our freedom and we are called to share that freedom with anyone who will listen. Too often we have tried to present the gospel as a command instead of living the love we experienced ourselves. If we live the kingdom message people will be drawn to us because we will stand out.

Let us stand out and be what He has called us to be, a light to those struggling in the darkness and a source of hope and love to those who are hurting. Let us be willing to face the fiery trials because He calls us to lay down our lives. For we know He will be with us in the trials and because a life lived for Jesus will ransom many for the One who paid the price for our freedom.