The Scriptures are clear that as believers we are to be different. Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. 1 Peter 2:11
Pretty clear, right? Uniqueness should be our goal.
But how? Are we to be weird? I don’t think we are to be weird in a “I don’t want to be around you” kind of way, but I do think we are to stand out in a crowd for our differences. Let me ask you, what is different about you than some of your friends on Facebook – or the people in the supermarket? Or where you work? Where do you stand apart?
I think the Bible can help us here. We should teach the members of our church plant that everyone should think of themselves as foreigners and strangers.
7 ways to be foreigners and strangers in this world:
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3
Always be joyful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16
Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble. Proverbs 21:23
Do everything without complaining and arguing Philippians 2:14
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matthew 5:44
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34
Does that look different from what you are seeing in the world today?
How would it change the world (or your individual world) if you treated everyone in your life with these truths?
This article on foreigners and strangers originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
