We all know that great joy can be found in simple things and that each season of the year brings its own distinct pleasures. I really love autumn weather… waking up in time to see the first rays of light tinting the morning sky, grabbing a sweater on the way out the door and kicking up some leaves as I walk to the car. It just makes me happy. Genesis 1:31 tells us that, as the sun set on the sixth day of Creation, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” And on any glorious October morning, I feel that way, too. I look at everything He made and I just know how good it is!
Sadly, day-to-day living in the 21st century is not always so wonderful. We often hear harsh words directed at others or at ourselves from people full of criticism, judgment, and abuse. We witness acts of hostility, selfishness, and anger. Sometimes, all that bitterness gets between us and God. Way back in the first century, St. Paul encountered the same kind of negativity. “Ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power and divine nature… have been understood and seen through the things he has made…[But] though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him… and their senseless minds were darkened” (Romans 1:20-21).
So, what does it mean to be IN the world but not OF the world? Jesus understood that better than anybody. “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not” (John 1:10). But He showed us that, as children of God, we enjoy a kind of dual citizenship. When asked about paying Roman taxes, He said, “render… to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Our responsibility toward our community and our country is just as valid as our devotion to our family and our faith. Both the material and the spiritual aspects of our lives are part of God’s creation, His gifts to us, which we are meant to cherish and enjoy.
On the eve of His death, with the cross looming before Him, Jesus prayed, in the hearing of His apostles, the prayer recorded in John 17 in which He begged the Father to guard them and future generations of believers. “I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world…. I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (John 17:14,20).
When Jesus prayed for, “those who will believe in me through their word,” He was praying for us. We don’t belong to the world any more than He did. We belong to God. The beauty of His creation is all around us and resonates deep within us. It makes us want to set aside our arrogance and our selfishness and lovingly exercise our dual citizenship, so as to become more like the children He created us to be. And when we do that, we discover that, although we may be IN the world, we definitely are not OF the world. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
“And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:25).
To God be the Glory!
KEEP READING
- “Give Me Jesus” by Fernando Ortega” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_3c1tLhUgM
- The Word Became Flesh. John 1:10-14
- The Guilt of Humankind. Romans 1:18-23
- Jesus Prays for His Disciples. John 17:14-22
- Paul in Athens. Acts 17:22-28
I was taking a short walk while waiting for Shane shortly after reading your reflection. As I looked at the beautiful oranges and yellows of the leaves and the lovely blue of the sky, I thought God really did a great job! Thank you, God .