Our God is Greater

1 John 4:4-6 
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
 
Over the years I have had the opportunity to travel to many different countries. The very first thing that I would attempt to do is learn some key phrases in their language. Yes, No, Please, Thank You, Hello, Goodbye, and a few numbers would normally get me by and give the natives some entertainment as I tried to communicate with them. There were more than just language barriers though. Their culture is different. Their outlook on the world is different. Their toilets are different! (If you have ever been to Germany you know what I mean!) To a person who is a citizen of that country this is all normal, but to us who are visiting it can be a bit confusing! It is difficult not to look at their way of life as backwards and our way of life as the right one! It is a prideful attitude that has caused problems for many travelers! 
 
Do you see where I am going with this one? Scripture tells us that followers of Christ are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) which means that this world is no longer our home. When we follow the Bible we find ourselves at odds with the culture of this world. It is no wonder that the world hates us and rejects us! We are outsiders who are speaking a different language and living a different lifestyle! Our values and hopes are different. We do not fit in so the world at best tolerates us, and at worst persecutes us. A biblical world-veiw is foreign to a world that finds sinfulness as normal. This is where my illustration breaks down because the Christian world-view is the right one! It is not a prideful thing. It is simply proclaiming the how much greater our God is than anything this world has to offer.
 
John says in verse 4 “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”. This is teaching that He is better in every conceivable way than anything that his world can give. What sin is it that calls your name day in and day out? Our God is greater! What heartache is it that keeps you up at night? Our God is greater. What desire is it that always seems to be just out of your reach? Our God is greater! Only He can satisfy, only He can comfort, only He can give you meaning – because He is greater! And until the day that He calls us home we are to be His ambassadors here in this world as we proclaim How Great is Our God!
 
Today as we ReFocus our hearts and minds on Christ we must remember we are not home and we are not meant to fit in. Instead we are to live to show the world how much better Christ is than anything this world can give them. And remember, whatever it is that you are facing today – God is Greater!