Jonn 17:15 -IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT. -“I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One”. Many people find it very difficult to maintain their faith in the midst of the evil surrounding them in the world. They try and they try again to remain faithful, upright and pure. But temptation comes, they compromise a little here and a little there, and soon they are deep into the very evil they have tried so hard to avoid. They yearn to get away from the surroundings that seem to catch them every time. They think, “If only I could run away to some pleasant place where I could be alone with God, then everything would be all right”. Jesus knew that his disciples would think like that. He also knew that isolation and escapism were no remedy. They could not have “the wings of a dove” and “roam far away”. They had to tough it out right there in the middle of all the opposition, the hatred, the misunderstanding and the downright enmity. Jesus prayed for them – not that they might have an easy time, but that they might have the strength to endure in the heat of the conflict. They were to be “in the world but not of it”. That principle holds good today. You too can’t run away and live in splendid isolation from the world. You have to live amongst the evil, the greed and the grime. And there you have to work out your salvation in the power of the Holy Spirit, make mistakes and start again. And find the power and presence of Christ despite all the difficulty and darkness.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 13:24:37 +0000
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