Set Apart

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

“Set Apart”

            There are many things we set apart in our lives.  But before I get into them, what does it mean to set something apart?  It means to move the object away from others for some reason or purpose.  If you’re the oldest child, you’re a rule follower.  You like things in order.  I can remember as a young boy eating the chocolate candy “M&Ms.”  I used to separate the colors into piles of the same hue, then eat each pile, one at a time.  My wife openly laughed one of the first times we had my youngest daughter over for dinner.  You see, I like to eat one food item at a time, not mixing up the tastes in my mouth, but savoring the flavor of the meal, one food item at a time.  When my wife saw my youngest eat in the same fashion, she laughed in amazement.

            If you’re not a golfer, you may not understand this next example.  When I warm up on the driving range before a round, I secure some practice balls from the automatic ball dispenser.  I carry the basket to the range and tip it over, spilling the balls onto the ground.  I normally start with a short iron and work my way up to hitting my driver last.  Before I hit a single ball, I separate the newer, brighter balls from those which have obviously been in use for a while because they are duller.  I can see the duller ones the shorter distances, but if I hit them with a driver, I can’t follow them as far, as they seem to disappear.  I can follow the newer, brighter balls into the distance.  Therefore, I set the newer balls apart for a purpose.

            We all know scripture which proposes we set ourselves apart as Christians.  Are we shinier, or newer?  Scripturally speaking, yes, we are.  Leviticus 20:26 says, "You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine".  This tells us God Himself has set us apart by separating us from the peoples, or the rest of the world who does not call Him Lord.  1 Peter 3:15-17 tells us, "Your heart should be holy and set apart".  Not only does God set us apart, but He wants us to have a different heart, or a way of thinking than the rest of the world.

            Are we to just stand alone from the rest of the world, thinking we are better than all the rest?  Paul in his letter to Timothy tells us why we are set apart.  2 Timothy 2:21 says, " Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."  There it is; the purpose for which we are set apart.  We can’t be weighted down by the things of this world and expect to do good things for God.  We need to prepare ourselves to do these works, to be cleansed by the Master, then set apart to do special things for the kingdom.

            Do you consider yourself to be of this world?  If you are God’s chosen, you are not!  Prepare your heart today to do great things for Him, and through Him.