Lunch break thoughts today....

(disclaimer....I was hesitant to post this....I wanted to make sure people know this is a journey for me and I am not there yet!)

So lately I have felt like God has been reminding me that this world is not my home. It has been a phrase bouncing around in my head for weeks now. So, I decided I would actually give some real thought to this idea and go refresh on what God says about this topic.

When I did this it hit me that God made this world for us to inhabit and when he made it it was supposed to be a perfect place for us to reside until he comes to take us away. It got me thinking about the fact that God intended for this world to be perfect for us. It was not supposed to be filled with evil.

However, something horrible happened and evil entered into the picture, instantly seperating this earth from the perfect place it was intended to be.

From my understanding of Christianity, nothing opposes God more than evil. Evil is by definition the opposite of God. If this is true, than I guess it would be safe to say that God opposes the world we live in.

It is crazy to me that this earth is something that God opposes. I know he made it beautiful and loves his creation too, but it actually kind of scares me that we live our day in and day out in a place filled with things God hates. This was a wake up call to me that I do not need to be taking this lightly. Satan roams free here. SO SCARY! The master of manipulation, greed, hate, shame, and destruction roams free in my backyard. All this to say, I have not had my guard up enough and God has reminded me that this is NO joke. We are in this world but are not of this world and when we start living here like this is where we belong we are in trouble big time!

I think the "society" we live in is really good at masking things. I think I have learned to take just about anything and make it look like a good thing or a normal thing. Even more, I try hard to be "normal". I have to wonder if living in this world and not being of this world gives us the freedom the completely scrap the word "normal". I am starting to wonder if "normal" by the world's standards is not only a little bit disobedient but possibly downright sinful? I know this sounds extreme.....but when you directly contrast this idea to scripture I think it is pretty clear.

I am not good at this....but will be doing my best to stop trying to just live MY life and start living like an alien among the pagans. I want to be very intentional to make sure I am following God's will for me. Not modern day, Sugar Land, Texas, Middle Class, Church of Christ will for me. I am not trashing this lifestyle or religion. I am not planning to sell my house and car and move to Africa by any means. But I am planning to try my very best to shed the cloud of our culture and try to see the clear simplicity of God's will for me. :)

I am posting this because it is something that has become so blurred for me and I bet I am not alone.
See verses below. I am going to be really thinking these over this week!

I think of these verses...."Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

And these....You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.  Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.