(Matthew 5:13-16)
““You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can
it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown
out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built 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 others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.””
As a born again Believers,
we have the “light of God” – the Holy Spirit in us. That light and His
transforming power should be evident to everyone we meet. Not only by what we say or don’t say, but by
what we do and don’t do. Jesus charged
the disciples – which includes us – to let our light shine in the world. We are to be witnesses so that God will be
glorified. Jesus said (John 13:35)
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another.” Years ago we sang a song at
fellowships – “They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love”. I think there are two main reasons why
there is a lack of light in a Christian’s life.
First. The Christian is not pursuing their faith
and they are still spiritual infants and are indistinguishable from those
who are still lost in the world. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) “Brothers
and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but
as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk,
not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still
not ready. You are still worldly.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “old things are
passing away and all things are becoming new” That is true for the heart that is
devoted to God. But Spiritual
transformation does not happen when your heart remains devoted to the
things of this world. You growth is
stunted – your light is hidden – your witness non-existent.
Second. The Christian is afraid of being
rejected by the culture they live in – afraid of the social and/or
financial loss they might incur if they let their light shine and make
what they believe to be Truth – Biblical Truth – known. Jesus told the disciples, (Matthew
10:34-39) “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the
earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come
to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the
members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves their father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and
follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it,
and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Most of us have a herd instinct. We want to be around other people. We want to be accepted by those
people. For a Christian – that can
mean that they must not make their beliefs evident – they must be silent –
even when what is acceptable to the “herd” is clearly contrary to the declaration
of God. They only way to overcome
that is by having a strong faith – a heart for God. (see #1)
I am not sharing these
things try to “guilt” you into something.
I want you to understand your new nature and life – how we are to live. Dr. Francis Schaeffer wrote a book some years
back “How Should We Then Live” which addresses this very thing. How should Christians live in the context of
the world around them. I don’t want you
think, after reading this, that you will just have to try harder. On the contrary. What I hope for is that you
will decide to “faith” harder. Read
Proverbs 3:5-6 and Joshua 1:8-10. CHARLEY
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