Wednesday, April 05, 2006

noticeably different



“When God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, he gathered them together at Mt. Sinai in order to give them the law (the Way). He instructed them, through Moses, about what it meant to be his special people. The law was not a way for Israel to earn God's favor; rather, the law was meant to tell Israel how to live so that they would show the rest of the world what it meant to serve the living and true God. In his Commentary on Exodus, Old Testament Scholar John Durham writes that to be a holy nation meant to be "set apart, different than all the other people by what they ate and what they are becoming, a display people, a showcase to the world of how being in covenant relationship with Yahweh changes people." Allen M. Wakabayashi author of Kingdom Come



You know I always heard the "set apart" as a way of justifying the Christian sub-culture. But now I hear it differently, more as "noticeably different" but still right in the middle of current culture to "put on display" the Way of living in harmony with God and restoring His creation.

“So when God gave Israel laws about how to treat one another and how to treat the alien, the poor, the orphan, and the widow, God did not mean to say, "Ok, you do this; then you get into Heaven." Rather, he meant, "Do this to show the rest of the world what I am like and what I desire for humanity. Act in these ways so that the world knows that I desire loving relationships. Show them that I love the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the alien." The law was meant to reveal the true and living God to the world through his people.” A. Wakabayashi


Sad to say, most of the time I don’t feel “noticeably different,” but I really want to know the Way!

7 comments:

RJ said...

Hey Bro!

I feel you on this entry. i want to be in the Way as well. I find it difficult to project to the world what I often times have no idea how to live. Does that make sense? I mean I am a believer even when I doubt I just know, but there are many times where I am more and more like this world than like christ to the world. i guess we all just need to help one another in this progression. I guess that is what admishment, encouragement, and accountability are for! Be blessed!
::RJ

RJ said...

*admonishment

mdwinn said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
mdwinn said...

In the past I have been taught to surpress the doubts of faith, but in recent years I have come to believe that Yahweh is big enough to handle them.

The question is do I have the courage to bring my questions into his Garden? Maybe this is the first step in learning to fear the LORD in the healthiest sense.

Anonymous said...

ah yes, questions... I sat down the other night and just let the questions flow into my notebook. At the end of the brainstorming session I had like 35 questions for God and presented them to Him.

I want to be set apart, to "look different" to the world. My questions are a way of sorting out what makes me different - a spiritual budget of sorts - and I want to use those questions as a way of bringing my life into focus so He can lead me into the way.

Anonymous said...

"noticeably different" - I've been searching for those words to summarize a world of desired impact to which I aspire to live. Thanks Michael for wrapping it up neatly enough for me to slip into my pocket as a word map to my daily destination.

mdwinn said...

Hey SZ, so glad you dropped in for a comment. Thank you for being true to the sound stirring in your soul. May you continue to move forward.

Yo ROD! Good to hear from you. I am enjoying little trips to Simplify.