We are not validated by the acceptance of other people. We are validated by our relationship with Christ. Stop attempting to win others by fitting into their ways.
When we love Christ we follow hard after Him. We must get humble and dependent on Christ or the world around us will swallow us up in it's ways, if long enough we will be unrecoverable.
The more people of the world we surround ourselves with, the less of our authentic self in Christ will be evident.
I am reminded of the picture of Christ's scripture that I encountered in real life when I visited Israel.
John 10:26-28 "…26 But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. 27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.…"
I and some other ladies were standing near the pen of a herd of goats and sheep. The shepherd was standing near by with his staff watching.
I walked up to the pen to call the sheep to me in my own English language. The herd showed no interest in me or the other women there who were calling to them too. The sheep didn't lift their head to look or pay any attention at all to my voice or the voices of the other women.
As the shepherd, who spoke only Hebrew, saw that we were stretching out our arms to call the sheep to us, began to speak a couple of words in Hebrew and the sheep ran immediately to the fence where we were near the shepherd.
You see, the herd knew the voice of the Shepherd and his words, so they responded quickly and obediently.
When we know the voice of our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ Who lives in us, we know exactly what to do and how to do it. Sadly there are far too many Christians who are not hearing His voice, because they are allowing the ways of the world and the voice of psychology to drown out the voice of their Shepherd.
When we love Christ we follow hard after Him. We must get humble and dependent on Christ or the world around us will swallow us up in it's ways, if long enough we will be unrecoverable.
The more people of the world we surround ourselves with, the less of our authentic self in Christ will be evident.
I am reminded of the picture of Christ's scripture that I encountered in real life when I visited Israel.
John 10:26-28 "…26 But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. 27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.…"
I and some other ladies were standing near the pen of a herd of goats and sheep. The shepherd was standing near by with his staff watching.
I walked up to the pen to call the sheep to me in my own English language. The herd showed no interest in me or the other women there who were calling to them too. The sheep didn't lift their head to look or pay any attention at all to my voice or the voices of the other women.
As the shepherd, who spoke only Hebrew, saw that we were stretching out our arms to call the sheep to us, began to speak a couple of words in Hebrew and the sheep ran immediately to the fence where we were near the shepherd.
You see, the herd knew the voice of the Shepherd and his words, so they responded quickly and obediently.
When we know the voice of our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ Who lives in us, we know exactly what to do and how to do it. Sadly there are far too many Christians who are not hearing His voice, because they are allowing the ways of the world and the voice of psychology to drown out the voice of their Shepherd.
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