In the World But Not of the World
It’s very easy to become self-centered in the twenty-first century. America has 5% of the worlds population, yet it is exposed to 40% of the world’s advertising; the most aggressive is directed toward adolescents. I feel God has assigned certain and very important duties to young people, one of them being that we must learn, carry, and share the wisdom of our fathers and our mothers. We work hard to protect our hearts and spirits; yet I’ve come to realize that we can never escape advertising ‘bombardment’ that focuses strictly on building outer self esteem. Radio, magazines, billboards, spam emails, telemarketers, commercials and posters are the most recognizable sources of advertising, yet do we truly understand the impact of this constant forced exposure to carnal commodities? I believe the impact is described in the book of Matthew, more specifically the prophecy of Esaias; “for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13: 15).
This scripture describes a strictly self-centered spiritual and mental place that we must be aware of, so that we can avoid it. We must be mindful of the many dangerous places we can fall if we look to other places to fill our desire to be loved. The most prominent characteristic of this dimension is a dramatic introspective shift, which results in feeling ‘desensitized’ from others afflictions. My personal experience in this dimension showed me how lonely it is to only think of myself; my heart became cold and the river of love I experienced for others was cut off. I will often fall into this place when I’m tired and do not honor my morning commitment with God. Now, I can tell I’m not spending enough time with God when the majority of my thinking begins to revolve around my life and what I need to accomplish within a day. An easy way to assess your spiritual place is to ask yourself, what do I spend most of my time doing? How often do I ask for God’s guidance before I ask for others’?
This world’s only vice against the fruit of the Spirit is to glamorize the flesh and to relentlessly sell empty images. People who are not consciously standardizing their life to the Bible fall victim to striving after appearances and lifestyles that do not please God. For what? If we could please the Creator of the universe by honoring our devotions, way of dress, and language – shouldn’t we at least do that if nothing else?
After the prophecy of Esaias, Jesus gives a promise to the people who choose to follow after God; blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears for they hear (Matthew 13:16). What a promise, a blessing! To be set free from ignorance and false deceptions is a powerful gift. With all of these new revelations and a sense of urgency in my spirit, I finally decided I don’t want to waste any time pursuing things that do not please God. And finally, we can not forget the clarity we feel when our spirit is in tune with His, it is the way He wants us to see the world all of the time.
“In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” — Psalm 71:1
What an excellent reminder of the promises that we have in Jesus! We experience so many worldly things everyday that pull us in so many different directions, and it is important to stay true to Him instead of fulfilling our own selfish desires. Thank you also for being vulnerable! Great article!
The more we mantain our priorites to seek Him the easier it is to live in the world. Thank you for the reminder.
We can’t possibly understand all the goodness He has for us, but we can be willing to stive for it. His mercy endureth forever…We are reminded by this article to keep our priorities right which seems so unusual and contrary to the ones who are all around us. But as long a we look to Him, the author and finisher of our faith, He will be there to help us.
Great perspective and wonderful advice. You are blessed to be thinking so clearly at such a young age. Thanks for inspiring the rest of us.