"But you
must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing
form whom you have learned them"
(2 Timothy 3:14).
I was walking on a trail in the hills and came across a
rattle snake. I heard the snake before I saw it, and I was very grateful that
the rattler started rattling or else I would have stepped way too close to my
poisonous friend. The snake who was sharing the trail with me was about two
feet in front of me. The colors of
this reptile blended perfectly with the dirt of the trail, and as I mentioned,
I wouldn't even have seen it except for the rattle warning. The snake's
camouflage worked ideally as he blended in with his surroundings.
The context of the above verse is Paul describing the world
in the last days, and the prophetic picture he paints is not pretty at all. As
Paul details the kind of things that will be going on, he three times says to
Timothy, "but you". By the "but you", Paul is laying forth
a contrast that should exist between Christians and the world. Followers of
Jesus should look very different than the world especially in the days we are
in.
Our tendency is to want to blend in, to fit in, and to not
stick out. We like to be part of the crowd and not stand out too much. Like so
many creatures of the animal kingdom we find security in camouflage, so we
might mix in with our surroundings.
I like to fit in, I know this about myself, yet I also know
Paul's "but you" applies to me. To walk in loving obedience to Christ
provides a huge contrast to this world, and that can be a little scary and
uncomfortable. We must realize there is no such thing as camouflaged
Christians, by nature we stick out like sore thumbs, even as Jesus did. So
let's give up on trying to fit in, and follow His calling to shine His light in
this dark world!
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