Standing Apart: The Courage to Resist Conformity
Ex. 23:2a Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil…
I believe it would do our society a great service, were every man, woman, boy and girl to commit this verse to memory long enough for it to work all the way from our heads to our hearts to our hands and feet! Today’s generation seems to be starving for so much attention that we are willing to compromise all that is right, just as long as we fit in somewhere. The old saying, “Everybody’s doing it!” is one of the LAST reasons anyone should decide to do anything! History itself teaches us that the masses were WRONG, not tens, dozens, or even hundreds, but thousands of times. So the question is, why is it so tempting for us to follow such erroneous thinking? The answer is simple; no one wants to feel lonely. No one wants to stand out like a sore thumb. Everybody wants to feel appreciated and accepted. So, in an effort to do so, if we are not careful, we will sacrifice all that is good just to be considered normal. This is really telling about the human condition without God, if you think about it. Let me explain. We were born, all of us, with a need to love and be loved. However, because sin entered into the picture, we were separated from the presence of God, who is love. Therefore, it is the sinful nature of man who is not naturally inclined to go to God, to fill this void by attempting to gain acceptance the first chance he gets. For some, that may mean joining a gang; for others, it may mean entering into an affair; yet others may just be trying to gain popularity, but regardless of the results, the reason is always the same; we just want a place to fit in. Unfortunately, however, without the core problem which separated us from God’s acceptance in the first place (sin) being resolved, there is no real joy or happiness in this life. But, the good news is this; when one comes to Christ in repentance of sins and faith in His finished work at Calvary, receiving Him as Lord and Savior, he or she is immediately made righteous in the eyes of God, made accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1:6), never to be lonely again! Oh, sure, believers are a peculiar people, and we don’t fit in with this world’s system, but we are in with the One that matters most, God our Creator! So, next time you’re tempted to “follow the crowd”, decide rather to follow your Creator!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
I believe it would do our society a great service, were every man, woman, boy and girl to commit this verse to memory long enough for it to work all the way from our heads to our hearts to our hands and feet! Today’s generation seems to be starving for so much attention that we are willing to compromise all that is right, just as long as we fit in somewhere. The old saying, “Everybody’s doing it!” is one of the LAST reasons anyone should decide to do anything! History itself teaches us that the masses were WRONG, not tens, dozens, or even hundreds, but thousands of times. So the question is, why is it so tempting for us to follow such erroneous thinking? The answer is simple; no one wants to feel lonely. No one wants to stand out like a sore thumb. Everybody wants to feel appreciated and accepted. So, in an effort to do so, if we are not careful, we will sacrifice all that is good just to be considered normal. This is really telling about the human condition without God, if you think about it. Let me explain. We were born, all of us, with a need to love and be loved. However, because sin entered into the picture, we were separated from the presence of God, who is love. Therefore, it is the sinful nature of man who is not naturally inclined to go to God, to fill this void by attempting to gain acceptance the first chance he gets. For some, that may mean joining a gang; for others, it may mean entering into an affair; yet others may just be trying to gain popularity, but regardless of the results, the reason is always the same; we just want a place to fit in. Unfortunately, however, without the core problem which separated us from God’s acceptance in the first place (sin) being resolved, there is no real joy or happiness in this life. But, the good news is this; when one comes to Christ in repentance of sins and faith in His finished work at Calvary, receiving Him as Lord and Savior, he or she is immediately made righteous in the eyes of God, made accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1:6), never to be lonely again! Oh, sure, believers are a peculiar people, and we don’t fit in with this world’s system, but we are in with the One that matters most, God our Creator! So, next time you’re tempted to “follow the crowd”, decide rather to follow your Creator!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill