Shine

Isn’t a Christian supposed to be “aw shucks” humble? Aren’t believers meant to hide in a corner and not let the right hand know what the left hand is doing? Aren’t believers expected to refrain from showing off? Not according to Jesus.

The other night, I went through the house and turned on every light. Then I built big black boxes and put one over each light to stymie the glow. My work was done. I had turned the lights on and then covered them over so their glow could not be seen. You say, “Ridiculous!” That’s exactly what Jesus said.

Light dispels darkness. Light cuts through the obscurity and makes its presence known. Sorry for the double negative, but light cannot not be light. Its property defines its existence.

They are called “The Silent Years.” During the four hundred long years between the last book of the Old Testament and the coming of Jesus, there were no prophets, angels delivering messages, or word from God. Then…at just the right time…

Light and darkness are not opposing forces. Dark is simply the absence of light. When light enters, darkness is dispelled. There was a time when we lived in spiritual darkness. That’s all we knew. It was natural and normal. Then we met the Light of the world. He dispelled the spiritual darkness that saturated our hearts. Jesus “called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Paul says we are “children of the light, children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). Jesus says it this way.

God makes his light to shine on us. I love the concept, but what does that mean? We have been using Psalm 118 this week as a guide for praying for our children. So, let’s wrap up our time by asking God to shine his light on them. Our prayer will explain what this powerful truth means.

Jesus does amazing things. Trust him, and he will turn things that stinketh into things that shine for his glory.

You are the light of the world! Let’s ask God to let us shine.

The same God, whose glory shines in the sky, desires to shine in you and through you.