When a soul sets their mind to follow Jesus, the moment they seek forgiveness for their sin, the Lord sets them apart. No longer are they eternal orphans, for they have been adopted into the Kingdom of God by their heavenly Father. This new child therefore, begins their awakening, and bit by bit, their old self will be cast off, revealing more of the image of God. A divine fire burning within them, they set off towards heavenly thrones, their journey of faith marked out before they were born.
The moment of salvation is sweet in my memory. Though life's circumstances around my surrender to the Lord were dim, the hope I found for something more in life, lifted me from the mire of a sinful life at set a path of light before me. Looking back I can still feel the sensation of my spiritual prison doors being flung open. Like Peter, I followed the Angel of the Lord from my dark and diseased cell into the light of Christ. Though chains still remained on my body, my spirit was free and for once in my life I felt the warmth of the Son.
While the memory of salvation is a treasure to me, I have become more and more aware of my sanctification. The process of refinement in the hands of God touches my soul in ways I can not express. Like a smitten child in awe of a real hero, I boast of my God's power and might, his love and kindness, his affection and great compassion. And God, lovingly boasts of me: his precious daughter whom he has set apart to be part of His eternal flame.
In pondering my new Christian heritage and the inheritance to come, my thoughts drifted to what I am "set apart" from. Believers are called away from "foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures...malice, envy, being hated and hating," (Titus 3:3NIV).
On the contrary, believers are called to: kindness, goodness, gentleness, love, mercy and devotion to what is excellent, profitable to all and purity, (Titus 3:3-8NIV). While purity is not something we will obtain this side of eternity, we are called to strive for it in all we do.
Oswald Chambers addresses the need for believers to seek purity in his devotional.
"I must cleanse myself from all filthiness in my flesh and my spirit until both are in harmony with the nature of God. Is the mind of my spirit in perfect agreement with the life of the Son of God in me, or am I mentally rebellious and defiant? Am I allowing the mind of Christ to be formed in me?"
Referring to Philippians 2:5, Chambers calls us to note the attitude of Christ Jesus; humble, obedient and desiring to serve others.
Therefore, if I am to be like Christ I too must be humble, obedient and a servant. For I have been set apart from the world which is full of people who are prideful, rebellious and self serving.
I find that it is easy to be set apart in some areas of my walk with Christ. In other areas I am weak. Though sanctification is a life long process, I must continually hold myself up to the Lord and seek new traces of his character in my own. I must search for evidence that Jesus is my Lord and my friend. And though it is important for me to see signs of Christ in my life, it is just as important for others to see Him too.
The term "set apart" suggests Christians will be notably different in character and behavior than other men and woman. If you can not find an area you are "different" than non-believers in your life...it's possible you have strayed from the fold. Do not be dismayed. Simply repent and set yourself apart once more. Allow your light to be rekindled that you may shine in the darkness. For just as moths are drawn to the flame, others are drawn to the light of Christ which shines through believers. Then, like Jesus, we will have opportunity to serve them.
May the Lord give us strength and courage to be bright lights in this world, as we seek to live righteously, in a world growing darker day by day.
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