Strange.
This is a term used to describe followers of Jesus in the 1st century. People thought Jesus followers were strange because they didn’t do the things everyone else did. They didn’t engage in the crazy lifestyle they once participate in. And as a result, they got ripped on for it [1 Peter 4:3-4].
Here’s the strange thing. This Sunday I’m going to give a message on 1 Peter, and as a follower of Jesus my life doesn’t feel too strange. In fact, when I look at my life it is pretty normal compared to the way the rest of the people live. I mean, look at my house. It’s a pretty nice pad. I have never suffered or had to go without anything in my life. My family has two iPads, three iPhones, two kindles, a wii, two cars in the garage, and there’s always food on the table. Oh, and one more thing… we have a dog. A pretty awesome dog too, who’s kinda a designer dog even though he’s blind. Needless to say, my life is not strange. It’s pretty normal.
So where do I go from here? How do I transition my normal life towards a life that is more strange? A life that doesn’t make sense to the world? A life lived in such a way that causes people to think about Jesus.
Right now I’m being pretty convicted, and I’m pretty sure I need to make a drastic life change. But before I do that I can honestly say that for the past twenty years I have tried. I have tried to follow Jesus. I have tried to live faithfully. I’ve tried to be a good husband, dad, and pastor. I’ve tried to tell people about Jesus. I’ve tired to be faithful to the Bible when I’ve had an opportunity to preach. I’ve tried really hard. But somehow I think I’ve missed the point because for so long the point has been me and my happiness.
So, now I stand at a crossroads. I’m going to stand up on Sunday and encourage people to live a strange life. And you know what? The person who needs to hear this message the most is ME. My life needs to become a lot more strange [I almost put a little bit there].
Jesus, give me a holy passion. Change my priorities. Change my desires. I want to be more kingdom minded. I want to see people transformed by you! Make my life strange!