Devotion

There Is A Difference
"My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory." ---John 17:9-10

When I was a junior in high school, I remember being introduced to an extremely sweet lady who was in her mid-nineties. She was sitting in a chair, and she asked me to come close to her. I knelt on my knees, and she cupped my face. She stared into my eyes as though she was looking into my young soul. We talked for a few minutes, and then she said to me, "If you can remember to be in this world and not be of this world, the Lord will keep you and give you a good life." It took me some living before I realized the wisdom nugget that sweet lady blessed me with. There is a difference between being 'in' this world and 'of' this world. Those who are in Christ realize this, and those who are in the world also realize this. But the difference is in the 'choice' that we make to either live life on our own terms or surrender our lives to a Savior Who prays for us and takes care of us because we bring Glory to Him. God gave us to Jesus because Jesus gave His life for us. To be 'in' this world and 'of' Jesus gives us the promise of eternal life. But to be 'of' this world and 'in' sin holds no future or hope for us. This world as we know it is scheduled to come to an end one of these days. The choice for us is clear. Either we choose to live forever 'in' the Kingdom of Heaven with our Savior, or we choose to be lost forever within a world "of" sin. May the holiness of Christ shine forth through His people and draw others to choose the gift of eternal salvation over the obsessions of the world. Selah.