Light In and Of the World

Good Morning,

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

None of us live lives that aren't seen by other people. That is a fact. We don't often notice that we are seen in what we're doing, but, believe me, people see us and notice what we do...and how we do things.

This is especially true of Christians. Why is that? Well, first off, we have these Bible verses that we read today which tell us that we are "light of the world" and "light in the world." We aren't the same as non believers as we go about our daily business out there in the world. We have something in us that lights up what we are doing and how we go about living our normal, routine lives. When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, then the Holy Spirit comes into us and we glow in the knowledge of the Lord in our lives. Yes, we can dim that light sometimes, but the fact is that it's still there. And that brings some attention to all of us. There's really nothing we can do about it, the attention that is.

Secondly, there are those in and of the world who would like nothing better that to bring believers in the Lord down. They do that by closely observing how we live and what we do. We are sort of under the proverbial microscope when it comes to our behavior and actions. There are simply those who watch us constantly, hoping to see us doing something...even some very small thing...which would not be considered the "Christian" thing to do. That's when these folks can say, "See! These Christians aren't different from anyone else. They are just like us. They (fill in the blank for any sinful behavior) just as much as we do."

Paul wrote, "Live as children of light." That, of course, means to us that we are to live as children of the Living God of the universe. We are to show our light to the world, in the world, just as Jesus told us so that, "...they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

We have a responsibility every day we live on this planet. Our responsibility as Christian believers is to show the world that we are, truly, different from those who choose to live sinfully and not come to the Lord. This is an awesome responsibility. We have to literally watch our every step and think about our every word. We need to be honest to a fault. We need to help those we see in need of help. We need to give to those who are needy. We need to speak words of kindness and love and mercy when we open our mouths. Well, you know what I'm saying here. Everything we do and everything we say and maybe even everything we think is just like an open book to those who see us. And, EVERYONE sees us!

For some of us this can be what seems to be an impossible task. For all of us this is a difficult task. But it's one that we can undertake with the knowledge that God is with us every step we live. With His help and calling on His strength, we can truly show the world the light of Jesus Christ in us. What we have to do is to remember to call on God and ask Him for His help...every single day.
Love, peace, and blessings,

David