A Higher Life
When Paul wrote the following instructions to the congregations he had launched in Colossae, he clearly had in mind that believers should be easy to pick out of a crowd. Not because they wore their hair in buns, or had long dresses, or had a fine selection of “church hats.” Because they had their minds so set on another dimension that the interactions they had with the visible earth were strongly affected.
As you read this portion of his letter, imagine that he wrote it to the people in your congregation. Consider ways the Holy Spirit may be prompting you regarding whether you are fitting in or standing out:
So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Therefore, put to death whatever in you is worldly: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his practices and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of his Creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
(Colossians 3:1-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible®©)
Daniel in Babylon and Joseph in Egypt were noticeably aliens. When Paul was in Athens, he was clearly alien. Jesus was even clearly alien in Jerusalem. Stand out. Be awesome.