October 10, 2025

Friday, October 10, 2025 

Instead … Set Apart 

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world  but that you protect them from the evil one.  They [disciples] are not of the world,  even as I am not of it."  
John 17:15–16 (NIV) 

One of our granddaughters’ favorite features at the Museum of Illusion was a long, narrow tunnel that looked solid enough—grated walkway, iron handrails, firmly anchored. But the moment we stepped inside, a kaleidoscope of bright red, blue, green, and white lights began to spin around us. Though the platform never moved, the swirl of lights gave the illusion that it did, causing us to drunkenly wobble as we moved forward. 

That tunnel felt a lot like life in today’s world, spinning with noise—chaotic, disorienting, and loud. Culture pulls us off balance, making us believe chaos is the only reality. 

The Israelites knew this feeling well when Jerusalem was reduced to rubble, the temple destroyed, and God’s people exiled into foreign lands. Yet through Isaiah, God spoke words of hope: instead of rubble, rebuilding; instead of barren fields, fruitful harvests; instead of despair, joy. God never forgot His people, and He never abandoned His promises. 

The same is true for us. While the lights of this world spin wildly, Christ offers a steady place to plant our feet, even intercedes and prays for us! He calls us to step out of the dizzying tunnel, to stand firm in Him, and to live as people set apart—rooted, steady, grounded. 

And being set apart doesn’t mean being distant. It means showing up wherever we are, steadied with Christlike love: encouraging the weary, lifting the struggling, welcoming the outsider, befriending the lonely, and even loving those who oppose us. 

The tunnel will always keep spinning until Christ returns. The question is: will we keep stumbling with the swirl, or will we step into the firm, steady way of Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life? 

Reflect: Where do you feel most pulled by the “spinning tunnel” of culture?  How can you live out being “in the world but not of it” in one practical way this week?  

Pray: Jesus, thank You for praying and interceding for me so that I can live in this world but not belong to its chaos. Keep me anchored in You today. Teach me to live set apart with Your love and steady presence in all I do. Amen. 

By His Grace  
Gloria Ashby  
Lay Leader