Let Your Light Shine

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 5:16

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite passages. Unfortunately, the Christian church has been reduced to worshiping their king within the four walls of their church. They have allowed the world to dictate that we worship and meet on Sunday mornings between 9 and 12. I love how this verse stresses that we let our light (Jesus) shine BEFORE all men. That means we need to get outside the church walls and allow our light to shine brightly for the world to see.

I also like how it stresses before men. It doesn't say to let your light shine among your Christian brothers and sisters. It says before men and doesn't limit it. The vast majority of those attending church are already saved. If you want to evangelize efficiently, we need to get out among the world and let your light shine there. We need to put aside our fears, our feelings of inadequacy and our past failures and walk the walk that God created us for. We need to step up and let God use us to further His Kingdom!

Get out in the streets, get out in the schools, get out in the parks and LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!!!

Easy Button

Life has been difficult over the past year and a half. Three surgeries, physical therapy and several other pretty major problems have left me looking for the "Easy Button" for life. It has been a HARD year and a half! All I want/need is a couple of months of easy. I want all this love and peace and joy and happiness that Christians say is found in Christ. I want that. It seems to be pretty elusive though. I can't seem to grasp onto it. I'm starting to think that I am trying to grasp onto a false sense of what true happiness or true joy is. I'm starting to question what I am looking for.

 
 

It seems as though every time I take a step or two forward that Satan smacks me in the forehead to bring me back down to reality. It is starting to REALLY hurt. I find myself asking God why that happened, why He didn't warn me that it was coming or why He didn't allow me to simply step out of the way so He could stop Satan's attack. Why? Why do we have to walk through times like the past year and a half? Why? I don't get it sometimes.

 
 

So I continue searching. I continue looking. I continue searching for my "easy button" that will make life go away and everything become easier. My problem is that I judge what joy and happiness is through my human eyes. The other day God brought me back to one of my favorite passages in the bible.

 
 

It is Romans 8:38-39 - "38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." While praying, God revealed to me that true peace and joy is found in this verse. No matter what we face, no matter what we walk through and no matter what the enemy throws at us… the love of God will never leave us. Nothing will be able to separate us from that love. Nothing. Not surgeries, not financial problems, not a broken coffee pot! Nothing. There is a lot of peace and joy in that thought.