Out of Sync with the world and Loving It!

     Syncopation; "A disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm....or accents where they would not normally occur."
     Now I know this applies in music for flows of rhythmic music...but I apply this daily to the world around me and what influences me each and every single day.  Because I am a follower of Christ and much of the time following Christ means chucking the things most people do every day which is hard to do on your own. But those who are Christ's are not alone and we have the gifting of inward presence of the Holy Spirit or "helper" as Christ told his disciples to wait for. Now that was certainly an interruption of what we were before!  The once accepted norms of living suddenly became crystal clear and behavior was now conforming to the new creation in Christ..... (or should be ) which means I am out of sync with what I once knew.
     Paul said it more clearly like this to those who preach not to steal. Do you steal? Those who preach against adultery, do you commit it? Those who preach against breaking the law, do you break it?..and so on.   Now most people have a conscience or some form of inward sense of right and wrong, but where sin is concerned we all sinned and fell short.  Short of God's intent for us.   Now to be in the world but not of it means a whole new ballgame.  I  drive a bus every day.  Been on the highway lately? Do the limit but find yourself still feeling like a turtle in the midst of a Daytona like race way?  Or how about being courteous to another driver and suddenly a blast from behind makes you jump!  Because impatience has found another target.  Or how about taking a little extra time in line at the super market and you can feel the eyes of those not so fortunate to be  behind you.... wishing they could speak their true minds but refrain because maybe it would not be acceptable?  Now you know what the Lord knew because over and over again scripture says, he knew what was in their hearts.
     Jesus constantly challenged those he was near to to change their minds.  To judge not by appearance, but by what was in the heart.  So when he healed the cripple on the Sabbath, the Priests and the Pharisees condemned him for it.  So now you know.  Being bombarded by our western culture every single day (like Lot in Sodom) can be wearing. It is and always will  be a battle tactic of Satan to wear out the Saints.
     That is why we need to stay close to the one who refreshes by daily prayer and reading of the word and be refreshed by the Spirit given to us very graciously.  It was the gift of God to die for us so we could change and not stagnate in the sin we were born with.  This means we must not straddle kingdoms any more.  Light and dark have no togetherness.  Shine a light into. dark room and you can see everything it lands on. Put darkness on light and the light goes out........come on into the kingdom and be joyfully out of sync!