Our Best Performance

Life has become one huge popularity contest.  We strive to be the most notable, the most famous, the most recognized and the most talked about person we know. We try very hard to please the world in order to receive accolades and applause.  We seek acceptance in our peer groups in order to increase our approval rating.  Our focus is on our performance, or our acting out the part of the person that gains approval from the world.  This is how God gets pushed out of our lives.  When He is not the most popular things going these days, we shift our attention to what is “in.”

Maybe we should work harder at making Christianity the “in” thing, or the more popular alternative.  Do you think it’s possible to make “becoming a follower of Christ” the one thing we all want?  We all would want to act and feel the same way.  But the world would suffer.  The world would not have any influence and would not be able to have any impact on who we are, what we do, what we buy and where we want to go.  That would be a disaster in an economy built on this influence.  God gives us a few tips on just how to become the major influence He needs us to be.

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33(NASB)

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21(NASB)

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.” 2 Peter 2:20(NASB)

 When we are more accepting of our life, and our God, we intentionally move in situations daily because we realize this is how God wants us to serve.  When we apply God’s Word to our lives, we are becoming very intentional about serving others.  We are not looking for the applause, but simply doing what is right, what is honorable and what is pleasant to the sight of our God.  We find that we are overcoming all of the world’s bad influences and creating a stronger influence of our own.  We are beating the world at its own game.

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4(NASB)

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”  1 John 5:4(NASB)

Make sure you are taking on the role given to you by our mighty Director, our awesome God. 

“in the world, not of the world”