Against the Flow

We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

─ 1 Thessalonians 2:12

“But, I want to go!” Diana’s 13-year-old daughter whined. “Everyone else is going.”

Diana’s mind drifted to her own teen years. She’d said the same things to her mother. Everyone else is going . . . doing. . . buying.

“Honey,” Diana replied softly. “I know this is hard because you want to be with your friends. You want to belong and be a part of the group. But there is so much more to life.”

“But, mom!”

“As followers of Christ, we should be different. We live our lives to point others to Him. We look different, act different and make better choices because we follow Him. I don’t allow you to do some of the things your friends do because I want to protect you from ending up in a compromising situation.”

Society’s standards and morals continue to erode. But our standard for making decisions is God’s Word, and that never changes. God calls us to live in a way that is countercultural. While the world encourages us to do what feels good, the Bible instructs us to do what pleases God. Sometimes this means we won’t fit in. In fact, we may stick out. But each day we must ask ourselves if we’re more concerned with pleasing God or the world around us.

Today’s One Thing

Have you been tempted lately to go with the flow instead of choosing God’s standard? What changes can you make today to ensure you’re living life God’s way?

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