“But when you call the people to an assembly, blow the trumpets with a different signal.”

In the stock market the contrarian is the short seller who are always betting against the stock and the company creating more shareholder value.  We also see activist investors and board members who want to do the opposite of what the current board and management team are out to achieve.  Even within our own ranks there will be people on our teams who take the other side of the argument, sometimes just for the sake of being known to be a contrarian.  Being a contrarian is not wrong, but it is certainly in the attitude and approach that we take that keeps it right. Without contrarians we wouldn’t have inventions.  We’d just keep doing things the same way we always did with little improvement or desire for change. It has been the contrarians who brought us cars, light bulbs and ipods.  And while they might seem a little crazy at first, these are the people who through their time, energy and spirit persuade others to go with them on the contrarian ride.

Jesus was the ultimate contrarian.  The world was following a set of rules and laws for humans to follow.  He superseded them with His commandments that we are to turn everything over to Him so that we can be His true followers.  Jesus didn’t even follow the expected cycle of life!  He proved that through Lazarus and His own resurrection that death was not final and that life through Him can eternally beat out death.  We’ve explored many times the contrary to popular beliefs and ways that we must accept if we are to follow Jesus, but let’s also remember that love, grace, service and mercy that is shown to others because of our love for Jesus are the most positive contrary acts that we can bring to a world that expects just the opposite.  In Numbers the direction was given to blow the trumpet differently to gather and assemble the people.  It may be that we are being called to do just that today.

Numbers 10:7 (New Living Translation)