Just like the other one

Life has been made so much simpler with the advancement of communications.  We can instantly know how everyone is living their lives so that we, too, can live ours and be just like them.  We can choose to live “just like the other one” so that we will fit in, so that we will get along with everyone and will have the same things, do the same things, feel the same way and act “just like the other one.”  We are slowly forgetting just why we have been placed in our situations because the world has an easy solution.  We just need to be like everyone else, right?

“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,  “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”  (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?  These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.” Colossians 2:20-23(NASB)

The Apostle Paul was trying to get the message through to the Colossians that they could live a joyous life without living by the worlds standards and requirements.  Paul was teaching these people to trust God for guidance, and not the teachings of man.  He was referring to Jewish customs such as circumcision or eating certain foods.  What do these have to do with praising and worshipping our Creator God?  They have the appearance of living as God would want us to live, but are of no help when striving to defeat things such as envy, jealousy, deceit and sexual immorality.  These things are defeated in the heart and soul of a person.  This is where the true battle rests.  Yet we simply want to be like the other person, even if it means doing things or having things that are of “no value against fleshly indulgence.” 

We even make this a part of our Christian behavior by attending a church because it’s where everyone is worshipping this week.  We will do good deeds only if our neighbor is doing them and we feel the pressure.  We will give to a charity because everyone else seems to be giving to the same charity, and everyone will know this because we are vocal about it.  We just want to fit in with a world that wants everybody to act, feel, see and experience things the same way.  We begin to lose our identity as a child of God, and start becoming a child of the world, worshipping things of this world, and not our God. 

When we lose our identity in Christ, we search for other things to identify ourselves with.  The world has an abundance of identities we can claim, but none are helpful when fighting evil thoughts.  We are led to believe that if we want to be like everyone else, we need to do the same, feel the same, act the same and worship the same. 

God did not create a world of clones.  God has a distinct and unique purpose for each and every one of us.  God tells the Prophet Jeremiah  “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11(NASB)

We need to focus our efforts on being the person God wants us to be.  We need to strive to be the true child of God we are designed to be.  We need to pay more attention to living a life praising our God, and not living so that we get the praise.  It starts with having a little more conversation with God.  We need to stop trying to be “just like the other one.” 

“in the world, not of the world”