Happy Monday! Welcome back to another edition of the GSM blog. Once again, my name is Dave Good and it is my honor to spend the next few minutes with you. I pray my words are an encouragement to you as you deepen your walk with Our Lord.
Today, I want to talk about your light. No, I’m not talking about the light in your house that you always forget to turn off. I want to take about the light inside of you. You may have read that Jesus referred to himself as the light of the world, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5 NIV), but what does that even mean?
Well, the light refers to his nature, his presence, and his character. The way Jesus lived was unlike anything this world had ever seen. He lived a sinless life full of love, sacrifice, and compassion. Everything he did was geared towards loving others, helping the needy, and bringing glory to His Father in heaven. He modeled what it means to live for God and let your light shine before men.
The example of Jesus’s life is so valuable to each and everyone of us. In case you haven’t noticed, the world we live in is becoming darker and darker by the day. We have wars, rumors of wars, famines, crime, and economic hardships. When you focus on all the adversity in the world it is not hard to develop a feeling of hopelessness and despair. Now more than ever we need a source of light in the world.
So you may be asking yourself right about now, “What does this have to do with me? To be completely honest, this has everything to do with all of us. We have to be the light in this dark world. Our actions, our lives, our decisions have to shine a light everywhere we go. We have to use the example that Jesus displayed for us and influence the world around us. We have to live like Christ. Sure we are not perfect like Jesus but as Christians we have his Spirit living inside of us to help us. The Holy Spirit is our helper that aids us as we navigate this life
Did you know that light overcomes darkness? If you walk into a room with a flashlight the room gets lighter. The light doesn’t get darker. This is the same thing that happen when we enter a room. Our light should shine and illuminate the room. I know you are thinking you don’t glow or light up but that is where you are wrong. Your eyes, your smile, your whole appearance has the potential to change the room. Your words, your actions, and even your reactions can set the tone wherever you go. That is why it is so important to live in a Godly manner. We need to allow the light of Christ to shine through us each and every day.
The final question we have to ask ourselves today is this, “How can I let my light shine before men and bring glory to God?” The answer is actually pretty simple. In the Bible, Jesus gave us the two greatest commandments; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 NIV).
Loving your neighbor as yourself is pretty self explanatory. Treat those around you with love, respect, and honor. Put yourself in their shoes and treat them how you’d like to be treated. That is the easiest way to let your light shine.
Friends, I know there are days when we don’t always feel like letting our lights shine. There are days when the world seems to overshadow our best efforts to treat others with love. I know that we may not always get it right but we just have to try our best. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit and allow the example of Jesus to guide our decisions and actions. The more we fill ourselves with His Word and rely on His strength the brighter our lights will become.
I hope everyone has a great week and that you will let Christ’s light shine brightly through you!
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)
Refill with Randy 