Living in the world has its perks and enjoyable moments. The food, the scenery and the innovations that are currently popping up in this generation such as gadgets are just some of them.
Yet, despite this, we Christians are reminded that we should not live a worldly life. How do we enjoy living on earth without being worldly?
Here are some things that we can do to live that way.
1. Work towards holiness
Holiness is not the same as wearing white tunics to church, or by hiding in a cave and becoming a hermit. It's simply being "set apart" for the Lord because we belong to Him. The Lord Jesus prayed for all His followers about this. Here's what He prayed, according to John 17:
"My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory ... I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth." (John 17:9-10, 13-17)
The Lord Jesus was able to live a full, sinless life while He was surrounded by all sorts of people. He lived a holy life, powered by the Holy Spirit and guided by Scripture. We can live a holy life by obeying His words through the enabling of the Holy Spirit.
2. Guard your heart
Proverbs 4:23 says, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." We should always keep our hearts, our intentions and motives in check. The Bible says, "Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away." We must put our wrong desires to death!
Lamentations 3:40 also gives us a wonderful instruction: "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!"
3. Realise that your freedom is not to sin, but to live for God
Galatians 5:1 tells us, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Christ has indeed set us free and has sent us into the world, but with a mandate: to go and preach the gospel into all creation (Mark 16:15), and not to live our lives like we did before He came and died for our sins (see Romans 6). Now that we are in Christ, we need to realise that we are not our own (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20), because Christ has bought us with His own blood (see Ephesians 1:7).
