Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The Darker The Night, The Brighter The Light - So Let The Light In You Shine

My Utmost For His Highest
 
We have been made as the filth of the world… —1 Corinthians 4:13
 
“These words are not an exaggeration. The only reason they may not be true of us […] is not that Paul forgot or misunderstood the exact truth of them, but that we are too cautious and concerned about our own desires to allow ourselves to become the refuse or “filth of the world.” “[…] “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…” (1 Peter 4:12). If we do think the things we encounter are strange, it is because we are fearful and cowardly. We pay such close attention to our own interests and desires that we stay out of the mire and say, “I won’t submit; I won’t bow or bend.” And you don’t have to— you can be saved by the “skin of your teeth” if you like. You can refuse to let God count you as one who is “separated to the gospel….” Or you can say, “I don’t care if I am treated like ‘the filth of the world’ as long as the gospel is proclaimed.” A true servant of Jesus Christ is one who is willing to experience martyrdom for the reality of the gospel of God.”  CHAMBERS
 
Are you willing to be rejected and reviled because of your faith?  What if it is your family, people you care about that reject you?  What if it is your culture?  Christians in the United States, at least in the past, have had the advantage of living in a culture that largely embraced Biblical values.  But that acceptance has eroded over time as the culture drift away to embrace something that is called good, but is. Biblically speaking, not.  (Isaiah 5: 20-21) “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”  Thinking well that is the Old Testament?  Here is the New Testament. (Romans 1:21-24)  “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts.”  Read the rest of the first chapter of Romans to see a portrait of the culture in the United States.
 
The pattern we see in the Old Testament is one where there was a generation that knew God, a generation that knew about God, and a generation that did not know God.  That is the pattern.  Our country is not very old, but is on the same path.  So what does that mean for you?  It means that you will be out of step with the majority.  What the Bible calls bad, the culture calls good.  You are face with a choice.  Do you embrace the culture or do you embrace the Lord?  You and I both know what the right answer is, but our answer is best revealed by how we live and what we like, not by what we say or hope.  How much do you value acceptance by those around you?  More than the Lord’s acceptance?  Are you willing to embrace rejection?  Many of us have already faced the some form of it.  When Peter was faced with the accusation of being with Jesus, he rejected Jesus three times.  But then, he and John stood before the religious leaders and preached the Gospel to them, unafraid.  What was the difference?  In the first case, Peter was trusting in himself, (Luke 22:33-34), but later, he stood before the most significant men of the Jewish faith trusting in the power of the Spirit. (Acts 4).  And so it is with us.  Your Christian testimony in dark times is not dependent upon your strength, but the power of God in you.  Don’t forget that or you just might find yourself denying Jesus.  Remember .. the darker the night . .the brighter the Light. So let the light in you shine.   ELGIN
 
Charley Elgin

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