In, Yet Not of the World

UV 3389/10000 In, Yet, Not Of the World

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17 v 16

We are called to be in the world and yet, not of this world. We are not to be “hyper -spiritual” or always other-worldly even as we are not to be worldly. If we are hyper -spiritual, we would be too salty for comfort. Salt should be used in appropriate proportions to the food we take or else it would cause hyper tension as well as makes the food repulsive. It implies that we are to be practical, sensitive, empathetic and wise to be of any use in this world to God or man. We need to live with our feet firmly planted in this world but our heads and hearts linked to heaven. As ambassadors of Christ, we are foreigners or strangers living in this world. We have passports to heaven but got visas to live in this world. We stay aloof from the malpractices or evils of this world even as we observe or honour customs and traditions that do not contradict or compromise our faith.

Scripture fore-warns us with certitude that the world will hate us even as it hated Jesus for our beliefs, values and principles. It does not mean, however that we dilute or compromise on our values in order to make ourselves more acceptable to others. We are vessels sanctified by His word and set apart to be used of Him in this world. Even as salt is used in small proportions, light is abundant and cannot be limited or measured. It implies that in terms of communication, we should be like salt in measured and deliberately chosen words while in terms of character and the values we espouse and practice, we should be like the light that dispels darkness decisively and effectively. There are some areas where we need to be discreet, discerning and subtle while in certain other areas and circles we can be open, expansive and overt in our faith and its expression.


Unlike the rest of the world, it is not circumstances or happenings that give us happiness but we derive our joy , enduring and everlasting from the peace, hope and assurance we have in Jesus. Our sense of purpose and our priorities distinguish us from the rest of humanity. We have similar needs and challenges like others of this world but we depend on the Lord to help us meet these needs and challenges and not on ourselves or others. Our source of strength and power ultimately are not of this world though we do use and develop the strengths, abilities and talents the Lord has invested in us from birth.