Family Devotion Time: Being Different

on March 1, 2017

Being different can be a wonderful thing. God designed all sorts of animals to fill every corner of the earth. Some of them can seem pretty strange to us. The super-gliding colugo, the tree-climbing coconut crab, the egg-laying echidna—that’s an odd collection of creatures. They definitely stand out!

And God has called Christians to be “special” and stand out, too (1 Peter 2:9).

Here's the Deal:
Living “different” means letting our light shine to a dark world in desperate need of it.

What does that mean exactly? According to Jesus, we’re the “light of the world,” a “city on a hill” that shines in the darkness (Matthew 5:14–15). Our actions should be like a beacon that points to our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

In other words, we should be unique in our love for God and for people (Matthew 22:37–39), our acts of kindness (1 Peter 2:12), our love for God’s Word (Psalm 119), and our love for other Christians (John 13:35).

Those sorts of things aren’t “normal” in our world. Sometimes people may even make fun of you for following Jesus and believing the Bible. They’ve been blinded to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). That’s all the more reason to let our “strangeness” shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15).

When it comes to living a life that points to Jesus, being different can be a very good thing. No matter what anyone else thinks about you, let that light shine.

Talk It Over

What are some ways you can live “different” for Jesus at school? At the store? At the playground? How can the words of Jesus encourage us when someone makes fun of us? (Hint: Read what He said in Matthew 5:11–12 and 28:20 and John 16:33.)