BE LIGHT

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“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.”

Matthew 5:14-16

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Mark 4:21-23

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."

Luke 8:16-17 

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Yesterday, I had the blessing and privilege to teach nearly thirty children in the town of Corozal in the country of Belize, a small Central American nation which sits just to the south of Mexico. As the children participated in the day, myself and the other volunteers watched them grow in the fruits of the Spirit, the theme of the three day, Christ-filled event. There was little doubt that the light of the Lord was being reflected by all who taught and led, and that light was being received and absorbed by the children. It was a first-hand example of what Jesus was talking about in our scripture verses for today as we continue to look at the initial words of instruction Jesus gave His followers following His proclamation of the Beatitudes. Look again at His words here:

“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.”  Matthew 5:14-16

Note the initial words here. Jesus says we’re to be the “light of the world” and let our lights “shine before others” but where do we get that light?

The answer comes in two other statements made by Jesus, both found in the Gospel of John. He said:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

and

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” John 14:6

Jesus is the light and He is the life. He is both and when we place our belief, hope, and trust in Him, committing ourselves to following Him in obedience, then we will have His light as we are guided toward modeling His life. In other words, through Jesus, we have the light He calls for us to share. We are carriers and sharers of His light and as long as we remain in Him, then we will never walk in darkness but rather the light of His righteousness, the light that brings us life from the One (Jesus) who is the life.

With the light of Jesus, gained through our relationship with Him, we’re not just supposed to be the light of our homes or in our churches, we’re not just to be the light in our neighborhoods and our cities or towns. No, we’re to be the light of the world and that means we need to find ways to minister to others, no matter where they may live in earth, sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus like as myself and the rest of our ministry team are doing this week in Belize, just as many other missionaries are doing each and every day throughout the world.

Now, I know you may be saying, “Mark, I just can’t leave the country now and go somewhere. I have a job (or family situation) that won’t support me leaving for an extended period of time.” OK, it’s easy to understand that there are barriers and limitations that often keep people from being able to travel abroad and physically bring ministry to others but think a little out of the box on this matter for a moment. With the mass use of social media today and its global reach, it’s very easy to reach out to people all over the world and share the Gospel with them, easy to let the light of Jesus shine through you, even through the Internet. Further, you can always provide monetary support to missionaries who can go and share the light of Jesus with others first-hand. Most missionaries have to fund their own way abroad and back to include their stay once in the place they are going and that stay sometimes is very lengthy. They graciously embrace any support they can get so even though you can’t personally take Jesus’ light personally, you can help someone else do it, indirectly sharing light and life and love.

Ultimately, the goal is to help others find their salvation through Jesus their Savior and let our light shine to that end, no matter how we participate in that process, a process that sees our good works bring glory to our God in heaven.

The message from Jesus is clear.

We are to be light.

How are you doing that in your life today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com