Living Set Apart
Have you ever heard the old saying that asserts, “Christians are to be in the world but not of the world.” Two different prepositions are used in this charge: in and of. If you are in something, it refers to your setting—where you are physically located. If you are of something, it means you aren’t just near in proximity, but you are an inherent part of it; your very being finds its source in it.
At the close of John 17, we see what has been dubbed the High Priestly Prayer. In this prayer, the Lord addresses the tension that exists in dwelling physically here on earth while also refraining from adopting the mindset, habits, or beliefs of the world. Jesus didn’t pray for God to isolate his followers, forming their own exclusive club. He asked God to make them stand out in contrast to the world with regards to their behavior. Just as the bright colored sprinkles on the top of a birthday cupcake stand out from—but are not melted into—the buttercream frosting they are on top of, so believers are sprinkled into the world but are to remain separate from it in behavior.
May the people in our lives observe our set-apart and sanctified ways and desire to know more about the one true God we serve.
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