Set Apart Not Superior

Set Apart, Not Superior

Day 46 of 8o days Through the New Testament 

Daily Reading 1 Corinthians 4–6

I've learned something about following Jesus...It’ll make you different.

Not weird different (okay, maybe a little), but set apart different.And that's exactly what Paul’s trying to tell the church in 1 Corinthians 4–6.

    The Corinthian church had started puffing themselves up. They were acting like they had it all together. Arguing over who was more spiritual, comparing who followed Paul, who followed Apollos, who preached better. And Paul basically said, "Y’all forgot who you are."(side note I giggled a bit thinking about Paul saying y'all. I mean he dud say that I become all things to all men that I might reach one, so hey it could have happened)

    He reminded them, this is not a competition. You’re not the main character, Jesus is.

And every single thing you have is a gift from God, not a badge of honor you earned.

    We've all been there. Wanting to prove we belong. Fighting to be seen in rooms we were never meant to fit in.

But God keeps reminding me.. 

You weren't called to be impressive.

You were called to be impactful.

    Then in chapter 5, Paul shifts gears. He starts calling out the stuff nobody wants to talk about...Sin. Not because he wanted to shame them, but because he loved them enough to say, "You can’t keep living like the world and expect kingdom results."

Whew. That'll preach!

See, we can't be vessels of grace while cozying up to compromise.

And we can't claim purity if we're still dipping our toes in the same mud God pulled us out of.

    And then in chapter 6, Paul drops this truth bomb: "You were bought with a price." That means your body, your mind, your voice they're not up for rent. They belong to the King. So when people ask why I don't do things "like everyone else,"why I preach when I was told I couldn't, why I won’t bow to religion or people pleasing, my answer's simple...

Because I'm set apart.

And that's exactly how God intended it to be.

    Being set apart doesnt mean I think I'm better than anyone. It means I'm not going back to who I was before Jesus found me.

It means I'll love boldly, live holy, and speak truth no matter who's uncomfortable.

Because my value was paid for in blood.

And I refuse to sell it cheap.