Invading the Darkness With Light

bombed-out building in Israel

We had an interesting discussion at the office yesterday, and I can't get it out of my mind. I had been invited to a meeting located in an area that some people consider dangerous. There are dangerous things about the neighborhood, but the place I was headed was, I thought, completely safe. There are some "bad" people there, but there are also a lot of good people.

"I'm going," I told our mission director, Steadman Harrison.

We discussed my decision for a few moments, then he said a wise thing. "Well, we're willing to go to the Syrian border. Why wouldn't we go into a neighborhood near here? It can't be any more dangerous than Syria..."

Why wouldn't we go? 

Those words have haunted me ever since.

When I say that God goes before me like a banner and Goodness and Mercy follow me, I'm not being flippant. I'm quoting straight from Scripture. It's not being irresponsible or foolish to trust those words. 

They're truth and we're supposed to believe them enough to stake our lives on them. 

Here's the problem... we don't believe the truth. That's why we've stayed behind safe walls rather than go into the most difficult areas with the light of Christ. I know, because I've been that person, but I'm not anymore.

I've seen the destruction the enemy has caused while we've stayed home, and it's heartbreaking. He's planted the minds of mothers and fathers, of sons and daughters, with lies, and it has reaped a harvest that's almost unbelievable. What passes for "normal" behavior these days is simply astounding. Evil reigns because God's people have allowed it.

Body of Christ, we have the light of God. Why would we leave the darkness to flourish? It's the nature of darkness to expand, to gather more territory. 

All that's needed for darkness to recede is for the light to shine. People of the light, it's time to shine in places where light is needed. 

We're not all called to the same darkness, but we're all called to be the light in the darkness somewhere. Where is the darkness to which we are called? How much light are we shining there? What will happen if we fail to invade the darkness with light?

In case you're wondering, I went. The first line of the opening prayer was a complete confirmation for me. "Lord, send the Holy Spirit to direct everything we do..." 

I thought I was taking the light, but, as it turns out, the light was already there.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 nasb

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: When the Water Runs Out

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The Importance of Light

It happened gradually. One light bulb after another burned out. The stairwell light was out. Even the oven light was out. Yesterday, I realized there were light bulbs out in almost every room of my house. 

Hauling the ladder from the barn to replace one light bulb had seemed like too big an effort, but the tipping point had finally arrived. It was worth it.

After a quick trip to stock up on light bulbs, I determined to recruit the first able-bodied person who stopped by my house to help me. It wasn't long before a friend dropped in. It took a while, but we replaced all the light bulbs.

There's light throughout my house again, and it feels surprisingly extravagant after the weeks of increasing darkness.

Last night, Maggie and Mamie were tired early and barked until I put them to bed. (They sleep at the foot of my bed.) When I didn't join them immediately, they barked some more. Finally, I gave up my knitting downstairs, grabbed a book, and headed to bed. 

Propped against the headboard, book in hand, I could see it all. The lights illuminated every corner of the room.

That's what light does. It comforts and illuminates. It shows the way.

For many people, the world is a dark and comfortless place. It's our job, as disciples of Christ, to provide the light, for it is His Word that gives us light.

When light is absent, it's not the fault of the darkness. It's the fault of the light-bearers. 

Are you allowing the light of Christ to shine forth from your life? Does the love of Christ provide a gentle glow that draws others to Him?

Darkness expands when light fails. 

Let's be sure our light shines in such a way that all will see the love of Christ in us. 

Make a difference. Be the light. 

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.    Psalm 119:105

You are the light of the world...    Matthew 5:14

Let your light so shine before men, that they see your good works, 

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.    Matthew 5:16 

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In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links:  Living in Goshen: God's Best, Embracing Our Personal Gethsemane, What is the Point of Suffering: Extracting the Precious, Mamie and the Ink Stain, The Blizzard That Was Not,  The Truth That Matters Most: My Redeemer Lives and Truth That Matters: God Sees. 

Be sure to check out my new Amazon Author Page.
#light #bethelight #Christian #faith #letyourlightshine

Seeking a Sign

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. (Luke 11:29-32 NASB)

By this point in His ministry, Jesus had done quite a few mind-boggling miracles. He'd raised a dead boy on his way to the grave, and a dead girl while the mourners wept. He'd fed a multitude, given sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and healing to untold numbers of people. News had spread throughout the nation. Crowds had begun to gather and were increasing daily. 

Jesus knew that the crowds were not there to hear His simple sermons with tough challenges. They had not come in search of ways to love their neighbor or forgive their enemies. They wanted to see a sign, a miracle that would prove His power. 

Lest I seem to condemn the crowds, I have to admit that, if I had heard the news that Jesus did miracles, I'd have wanted to see a miracle, too. I'd prefer to console myself by saying that the miracle would have drawn me, but the truth would have kept me. The reality is that's pride talking. 

I hate to confess this, but I would have been the one saying, "I thought they said He did miracles. All He's done so far is talk." Someone in the crowd might have whispered, "He does the miracles at the end." I might have waited to see. If there were no miracles, though, I would not have gone back. I want to see to believe, and it is a distinct disadvantage in matters of faith.

At last, Jesus confronted the crowds. "This generation is wicked... it seeks a sign. No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah." Jonah's ministry had been centuries earlier. It was "old news", and must have seemed like an odd sign. 

What the crowds couldn't know was that Jesus would give them the most important sign of all. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days, apparently lost forever, Jesus would be in the "belly of the earth" for three days. It would appear that He, too, was dead and gone, all hope lost. 

At the point where despair was about to overtake all hope, Jesus would arise, conquering death and sin. The Sign of Jonah would become obvious. It hadn't happened yet, and Jesus didn't explain. Instead of words, He would show them the sign of a risen Savior.

Later, Jesus would say, "You believe in God, believe also in Me." When He walked out of the tomb, many did believe, but not everyone. 

The crowds of Jesus' day wanted signs rather than truth. They wanted to be entertained, not challenged and changed. Are we any different? What is it that we want from Jesus? Do we want signs and entertainment or truth, challenge, and change?

Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Never once did He suggest we should stay the same. He said we were to be light in the darkness, and that begins by replacing our own darkness with His light. 

Today, let us pray that the sign we seek would be that of a redeemed and transformed life, that we, too, might shine bright in the darkness that surrounds us.

Teach us to Pray, part 44: Glorifying God

"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.' ] (Matthew 6:9-13 NASB

Last night at Wednesday night Prayer Meeting, our interim pastor, Bobby Douglas, talked about glorifying God. He gave the illustration of a sunrise. Before we see the sun, he explained, we see the golden glow that lets us know the sun is coming. If we were seeing the sun for the first time, we might say, "I thought it would be something like that from the glow that came before it." When we glorify God, we live in such a way that people get a glimpse of what God is like by watching us. 

Pastor Douglas is absolutely correct. God did not call us to convict people of their sin, nor did He call us to be "fruit inspectors" (as I have heard numerous people claim). Our job is to be salt and light, to love, to be unified, to obey. Conviction of sin is God's job. Judging sin is God's job. We are to live in such a way that we create a lovely glow that causes people to want to see more. 

When Jesus walked this earth, he spent time with people who did not live the way the "church people" lived. He ate with them, attended parties with them, loved them. He sat down at the well and talked to the most notorious woman in town. Do you remember what happened when Jesus hung out with sinners? Mary Magadalene showed us how to love to the extreme. Matthew documented the life of Christ and brought his friends to Jesus. Zaccheus showed us the generosity that springs from love and a life that has been redeemed. These "sinners" became the very ones that showed "the church" what loving God was supposed to look like. They became the golden glow that gave a glimpse of the Son.

This is what our lives are supposed to do, as well. We are to be so cleansed by the blood of Christ, so transformed by His Spirit, that we become that same golden glow that gives a glimpse of our Lord. Matthew explained it perfectly.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 NASB)

In the Leanna paraphrase, "Live in such a way that your life is a light that shows everyone a picture of God and makes the most notorious sinner want to love Him,too." That's what someone did for me, and it made all the difference. 

Be the light that gives the world a glimpse of Jesus and His love.