At peace or ignoring?

Challenging insight from Francis Chan: "There is a difference in being at peace with something and ignoring something. Especially true with areas of conviction."

It is amazing how subtly all the wrong things can creep into our lives and find themselves among the things we call normal. It happens in relationships, with spending habits, with lifestyles, with entertainment, with conversations, with morality etc. Then you turn around one day and wonder how you got here! The answer is: One seemingly small compromise at a time!

When the Scriptures teach that followers of Jesus are to be "set apart", and "in the world but not of the world" those can get very tricky in real time and real life. Following Jesus can get messy and can be costly. The rewards on the other hand are unimaginable and well worth any "costs".

I Peter 2:9 reminds of the reason we are "set apart" by God...it is so we reflect our heavenly Father and his characteristics and love to others...to praise him. Not so we can feel superior or look down on others--but to reflect and praise God! That's it--that's our most significant role as followers of Jesus. As a mountain lake reflects the mountain so should we reflect our heavenly Father here and now to those around us.

Are you reflecting God to those around you?
Are you at peace in your life?
Are you ignoring things and calling it peace?
Are you calling something normal that secretly you know shouldn't be part of your life?
What defines you?--How would those close to you answer that question?

New year...new start. In 2009 let's reflect God to those around us with more clarity than ever before. Let's praise him with more passion and consistency than ever.