And ye shall be holy unto Me: for I the Lord am holy,
and have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine. Leviticus 20:26
Do you ever feel like you don’t fit in?
Maybe you don’t have the same humor as others
or you have no interest in their conversation?
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak:
I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22
God allows us to mingle to some degree.
It seems there is a limit to that or perhaps He allows it just for the sake of the gospel.
Then there is a stopgap.
The chapter in Leviticus is giving an overview of many things that are unclean
and how God wants us to be separate from the unclean.
If we mingle too much with those who have no regard for holiness,
we may be tainted by their absence of holiness.
God said earlier: But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land,
and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey
I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. Leviticus 20:24
It can be very difficult to try to fit in with the world.
It’s a balance. Be all things to all people, that is, try to meet them where they are.
When I lived in the city, there were always Happy Hours to go to, parties
and other social events. The best way I found to participate was to be there first,
chit chat for a while, then leave before the drinking set in.
I went as minimally as possible and people knew who I was in the Lord.
It’s such a tough balance sometimes.
I miss Jesus when I am away from Him.
If He’s not the topic of conversation, if Jesus is not exalted at a venue,
that can be tough.
At work, there might not be much of a choice.
Jesus places us strategically where He wants us
and we have to make our way in the world.
That is where we find the unsaved, in the world.
The world is our mission field.
Yet still, we are to be separate from them.
They will ask you to pray for them when you least expect it.
They know.
Jesus is not so interested in if others like you or not, but in how we represent Him.
That is hard to understand because we are not supposed to judge the world,
but we are to stand for righteousness.
Some situations are really hard to know how to handle, what to say, how to react.
Keep in closeness with Jesus and seek Him for His wisdom.
He will give us ways to stand for the gospel that we may not have even thought of.
If you feel like you don’t belong, you don’t.
It’s not your imagination.
It’s your mission field while you are there.
Listen for directions from the Holy Spirit,
plant seeds and share what Jesus has done in your life as the opportunity arises.
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven,
that one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:14