The third dimension of your holiness is that you are called. You may have heard the phrase that we are called to be “in the world but not of it.” That’s a good summary, and it comes directly from John 17.

Notice the words of Jesus: “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world” (17:6). At the same time, He says, “The world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (17:14).

Yet Jesus also says that the disciples “are in the world” (17:11). In fact, He specifically says, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world” (17:15). It isn’t easy to be in the world when we are not of it, yet that is our calling from God.

Suppose a friend has a spare ticket for a big match between intense rivals. The problem is that you would be sitting among your team’s rivals. Your friend says, “Just keep a low profile. You will be fine.”

The game is a strange experience. When the section you are sitting in cheers, you are holding your head in your hands. When they are racked with despair, you are overwhelmed with joy, trying not to be too obvious.

That is precisely our position. We gather in church and talk about holiness, and it’s like cheering among the home team. But tomorrow, you find yourself in a crowd who are cheering for the opposite thing.

When the final whistle blows, the losing team will leave the field with their heads hanging. That’s not where it’s going to end with you. You are in the world, but you are not of the world. You have been given to Christ. You will be covered with His glory. You will share in His triumph.

How does knowing that you will share in Christ’s triumph help you endure the times you find yourself among a “rival team”?