They think you are wierd

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. – 1 Peter 4.3-5

The last verse was about no longer living our lives in captivity to the flesh. Paul also wrote about the old life when we said that before salvation we all walked according to the course of the world because we were, by our very nature, children of wrath.

Peter here makes a pretty clear statement. We spent enough time in our past with a worldly lifestyle. Our lives were marked by lewdness and lusts and drunkenness and revelry and drunken parties and idolatries.

But no more, that should not be a part of our lives. Now our lives should be different.

And then he warns us, ‘people are not going to get it. They are going to think you are weird when you stop living like them. They may even start talking bad about you.’

I think we all know what this is like. We don’t even have to say anything and still be accused of being ‘holier than thou’ and thinking we are better than they are.

The truth is that we should not be surprised when our friends don’t get it. The person they once knew is not the person they know now. We aren’t the husband or wife or mom or dad or son or daughter or friend or neighbour or co-worker they once knew.

So rather than getting our backs up or acting ‘holier than thou’ we need to be patient and loving and kind in response. There is no need to be harsh or critical of them. Let them see the reality of the change Christ has worked so that they too may ‘be partakers of the grace of God.’