Be Different!

I grew up thinking I was different because my parents didn’t make a lot of money and they were raising five kids on fairly meager salaries. I remember this one pair of pants that were bell bottomed (of course) and red, white and blue striped.  We had to wear the pants (aka britches) more than once a week because we couldn’t afford a pair for each day of the week. I just remember that I didn’t have “cool” clothes like many others. I did survive those days of being different, but I think most of us spend our lives trying to “fit in” or be like others. I am now trying to live differently and be different, because to seek the Lord and live out my faith should look different as I move closer to the Lord with my lifestyle.

The people of Israel were in transition, while at Mt. Sinai. The Lord was preparing them to be different than the people they left in Egypt as well as live differently than the people in Canaan, where they were headed. Check this out….

¹Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. ³ So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. ⁴ You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. ⁵ If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:1-5 NLT)

I was thinking about how I should be different today. I believe that my values of honesty, hard work and integrity are much more than just words. A person should be able to see my life and talk with me and see the depth of my faith without me ever having to speak. I want to let the Presence of The Lord in my life “leak” out into every day, walking around life.

This passage also speaks of living inside the boundaries that the Lord has spelled out for His kids. I have at times felt like the boundaries of the Lord are restrictive to me. As I’ve grown older and wiser, I see the incredible freedom that comes from living inside the boundaries and protections that the Lord. The boundaries are meant to be protective and proactive more than they are restrictive.  The Lord created me with a plan for me to live and honor Him with my life. He doesn’t “put a gun to my head” and force me to live for Him, but He gives me the options and choices to live out my faith and trust in Him daily. I can assure you that I’m not perfect at this, but I can also assure you that I’m going to get up when (not if) I fall down and get back on the road to Him.

Pressing On!

Dwayne