Famous Ones

"At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes."
 Zephaniah 3:20

When Jesus came, a process of separation began. He preached that the Levitical law was not sufficient to give us righteousness before God. He spoke of a new way, one that would require people to receive what he did for us, one that would require the sacrifice of his life to be an atonement for all mankind. thus began the separation. Those who believed in Jesus would receive eternal life, those who would refuse him would have no part in his kingdom. Men could not obey the law well enough to be counted as righteous before a holy God.
    As Christians, we must live in the world, but we are to be separate from the ungodly principles that govern it. In other words, we are to look different than the people who live their lives in the grasp of the world. This difference is seen through our lives, not necessarily by our words. Our words must be pure, but the difference is noticed because of our yielded lives before God. Let's face it, we are different.
    We are living in days when this is becoming more evident than ever before. When the prophet Zephaniah wrote the scripture above, he was prophesying about a time when those who follow God will become famous. In fact, in the King James and New King James versions of the Bible, the phrase, "honor and praise" is translated, "fame and praise." Now we think of famous people that are movie stars, athletes, politicians and media personalities. But the days are coming and in fact are now here when Christians will be the famous ones. As the world degrades, the blessing of the Lord that is on all Christians will become more evident. While others are struggling, we will be prospering. While others are sick, we will be well. This will set us apart from the crowd. This will display the power of the gospel. Others will see us and desire the God who lives in us.
    Let's start living like people who are different. Let's display the glory of the Lord. Let's allow him to set us apart through the Holy Spirit. Let's allow him to give us honor, fame, and praise among the peoples of the earth. It is of no value if we seek that fame on our own. It comes as we live our lives faithfully for him. The separation is becoming more visible all the time. We must take the blessing of the Lord to the world by living our lives before them in purity, holiness, and righteousness. Then they will surely see the famous ones and run to our God.