Christ Separates the Sheep from the Goats, 6th Century
They'll notice. The people around you who don't share your beliefs will notice how you live yours. They'll notice when you do or say something different from what you claim to embrace. And they'll be disappointed.
I've witnessed this phenomenon first hand. I was with two women who didn't share my religion. They were talking about a man that one of them worked with, but they both knew. In spite of professing to be a member of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), he went out after work and drank with his co-workers. The women I was with were irritated about the situation. They discussed it angrily for about ten minutes. They were disappointed. And they aren't members of the church! Without knowing it, this person damaged the opinion that these two women (and maybe others) had about the members of the church.
I was reading in Alma chapter 5 a few nights ago and the word SEPARATE seemed important in verse 57:
"And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye SEPARATE, and touch not their unclean things..."
I looked at the footnotes and read the additional scriptures:
"And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had SEPARATED themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel..." (Ezra 6:21)
"Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not SEPARATED themselves from the people of the lands..." (Ezra 9:1)
"And the seed of Israel SEPARATED themselves from all strangers and stood and confessed their sins..."(Nehemiah 9:2)
"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye WITHDRAW yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly..."(2 Thessalonians 3:6)
In the dictionary the word "separate" means: to make a distinction between; dissimilar in nature or identity; and my favorite: to set aside for a special purpose.
We can read clearly that it's a requirement to be different. Otherwise how will God know that we belong to Him? Have we separated ourselves from what the world says is important? These are some of the things I notice that the world places huge importance on:
Money
Beauty
A Good Time!
Thinness
YOURSELF!
Sex
And then this is what God by way of the scriptures, says is crucial:
Love and Charity
HUMILITY
Obedience
Patience
OTHERS!
Virtue
Have we separated ourselves from the obsession to be rich/gorgeous/thin/selfish/sexy/fun? And are we united, and joined, and married to the commitment to love and give/be virtuous/do the commandments/live for others/be long suffering/and full of humility?
Um...I know where I stand. And it's a bit uncomfortable to reflect on. I need to get my other foot out of the puddle of the world.
It's vital to live up to what we say we believe, because if we don't, they'll notice.
