Do not be like them. Word on the Week 2nd July 2022.
It was at the end of a Church Service when the visitor asked what words of advice I would give to her rather mature 12-year-old daughter. I said “Don’t follow the crowd; Jesus never did” and that was accepted as a piece of homespun wisdom.
Her husband who had just read my WOTW which, if I remember rightly went rather bare on a major politician of the day. I was quizzed, among other things, on the blog’s apparent anonymity. I referred him to the website (Grace.ie/blogs) which he looked up and found the authorship exposed in rather large print!
They formed an interesting trio. They were over from the UK for some sort of legal conference. His legal brain had caused him to ask me for my blog’s sources whereas his wife’s concern for her daughter’s future had led her on a more useful quest.
All this happened many years ago but came to mind as I considered the Lord’s instruction, “Do not be like them”.
It was addressed to the Children of God as they entered the land of Canaan and it was re-stated in the sermon on the mount (Deuteronomy Chapter 6 verses 13 to 15 and St Matthew Chapter 6 verse 8). In the former it was to shun pagan gods and their practices and in the latter to avoid pretence in religion.
We live in days when Christianity only occupies a small part of many lands and false gods abound. The latter make demands on their followers, which if they continue, will enable them to perhaps reach Nirvana.
Christianity, in contrast to all other religions, looks to God’s grace. This is God giving us what we don’t deserve. He invites the whole unworthy world to come to Jesus. If we accept the invitation our hearts respond to the hearing of God’s word. We are then baptised into the Christian family (Acts Chapter 16 Verses 14 to15).
These baptised ones are those who “do not want to be like them” who do not want to follow the crowd choosing instead the narrow road. It is not an easy road but it is where Christ lives (2 Timothy Chapter 3 verses 10 to 17).
It is unlikely that I will ever know in this life how things worked out for that young girl but I would like to think that our conversation was a step towards a life changing faith in Christ.