WHAT IS THE PERCEPTION OTHERS HAVE OF YOU?

SCRIPTURE:
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, 
he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met 
with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were 
called Christians first at Antioch.” 
(Acts 11:26)

MEDITATION:
Why would Paul and Barnabus be called Christians?
Obviously they were different than the rest of the people in Antioch.
Why were they different?
Their focus was on the Lord and not on the world.

That should not be unusual for all Christians.
All people are either going to lean toward the Lord, or toward the world.
Those leaning toward the world will not be considered any different 
because unfortunately the masses lean toward the world.
However, those who lean toward the Lord are leaning in a different direction 
so naturally they will stand out and be noticed as being different.

True Christians know that eternity is much longer 
than their time here on earth, so they don’t mind being different.
They would rather be excluded from some social circles on earth 
than to be excluded from Heaven.
It doesn’t mean they are weird or unusual, they are just different.
The truth is, many wish they had some of the same qualities as Christians, 
but are unwilling to do what it takes to make the change.

In the third century Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, 
wrote to his friend Donatus, 
“It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have 
discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people, who have learned 
a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better 
than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and 
persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They 
have overcome the world. These people, are Christians…and I am one of them.”

ACTION:
If you have repented of your sins and have received Christ as Savior, 
then you, like Cyprian, are “one of them” too.
As a Christian, you need to bow your neck and refuse to allow peer pressure 
to influence you into doing things that are unbecoming of God’s people.

If you are shunned by someone, or a group, 
ask yourself, “Am I shunned by God?”
He is of the utmost importance and will determine where you spend eternity.
Even Christians fail at times, but we should live a lifestyle 
that leans toward the Lord, and not the world.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I pray that You will give me the strength to reject the 
ways of the world and keep my focus on You and an eternity in Heaven. 
May I never take for granted the heritage I have in Jesus Christ. Give me 
the courage, dedication and stamina to stand in the world as a Christian, 
just as those stood who have gone before me. Thank You for the inspiration 
of the memory of how they stood for You in much more dire circumstances.”