How Weird a Person Are You?

We’ll say someone else is weird but never say it about ourselves.  This scripture tells us just how strange we are to be.

Titus 2: ¹¹ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, ¹² Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; ¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The modern word for peculiar is weird. I’m thankful to be me.  Peculiar and weird are used about us in a derogatory way. Imagine.  Those of a sound mind are considered strange.  Those who love others and do good are looked down on.  I saw a doctor being interviewed on television.  She was asked who the weirdest group in America was now.   She said Christians and I could see the devil in her eyes.  Remember it’s not how the world views us; it’s how God sees us.

Sometimes I think the only sensible people are Christians.  If you want to find a clear minded person, it will be a Christian.  It used to be that a Christian was spoken of with respect.  Now it’s mentioned in a threatening manner as if we are enemies of everyone.  I’ve heard Christians called right wing extremists.  All I can say to that is that the Bible tells us the sheep will be on the right and the goats on the left.  Thank God!  I don’t want to be anything else but an extremist Christian.  Don’t be passive with your Christianity.  This weirdness is offered to all who follow Jesus!  He has always bettered my life and caused me to want to better myself and please him.  Don’t get discouraged and weep when the world rejects you as a bad person.  Some even say Christians are the source of the bad in the world.  Before Jesus came into my life, things were wrong.  Since I met him, it’s been right.

The best thing we can do is be weird in the sight of the world.  Regardless of what the TV says about you, listen to what God says.  He never calls us weird.  We’re not a mistake to him.  You won’t find anything in this Book about being politically correct.  It’s God correct.  What he does for us creates a peculiarity with our old life.  Let’s be peculiar people in the world.  Only when they see us as weird will they see the difference God makes.  Paul was considered mad, out of his mind.  I can see him writing this.  He probably laughed when he got to this word and said ‘thank the Lord.’

When God’s grace brought salvation we were taught how to live:  soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.  Don’t be afraid of what the world will say.  When God looks down at us, how different does he see us?  How independent are we from the world?  How strange are we to those of the devil’s crowd?  Since salvation we’ve had the chance every day to be different.  If you’re not, you should be.  Man tries to undermine and even outlaw Christianity, but this world’s greatest friend is God; the greatest asset in this world is the Christian.  We may be looked on as strange for reading the Bible and praying to an invisible God and not falling for all the stuff the world throws our way.  When they need someone they’ll call on the Christian.

Stay under the blood and don’t get intertwined with the wickedness of the world.  While under captivity in Babylon, they tried everything to make Babylonians out of the people of Israel.  They stepped up to the plate.  When the pressure was put on Daniel and the three Hebrew children, they stood firm.  God’s people were a nuisance to them.  Rejoice.  The worse things they try to do are all the more reason to be peculiar.  Three men were bound and put into that fire, yet four were lose and walking around in it.  The Son of God came down to them.  If the world stokes the fire on you, hold fast and boil for God.  Stand in your place.

In the eyes of the world it was strange that the three Hebrews survived the fiery furnace.  It was strange that Daniel survived the den of lions.  Our prayer should be ‘Lord, help me be a weirdo for you.’