IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF THE WORLD 1

It is a profound and critical message that every child of God must always be conscious of, we must be aware of who we are, our identity, the citizens of which nation we are, our customs, principles and way of life.
When we examine and meditate on what the scriptures teaches about how a child of God should live, we would realize that we are strangers (sojourners) here on earth and hence must preserve our identity and character while we are here and not allow the way of life of this world to corrupt us.
Looking at the Hall of Fame of Faith written in the book of Hebrews 11 from verse 13, God was trying to pass across the special attributes of these men and women of faith, the consciousness they had that helped them through their stay and journey
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what were promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back but they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them .
They realized that they were foreigners so they didn't behave like the people of the world neither did they imbibe their way of life , culture or language, they didn't long for their formal way of life or practices (i.e what was obtainable in the former country). Also, as children of God, we must leave behind our former ways of life, what is obtainable in the kingdom of darkness should no longer be desirable to us because we have changed citizenship but rather long for all that God has made available for us in His kingdom. We are no longer in darkness hence our ways of life should not be linked to darkness.
We are the light of the world. The city that is set upon the hill that cannot be hid. This shouldn't be just in words only but also in action.
                         ...to be continued