Light Shines Brightest In Darkness.

Meet Benny.  Our faithful dog.  The most faithful dog I've ever known.  But Benny is getting old (16+yrs) and must wear a glow stick on our nightly walks.  I lost him for over an hour the other day and it felt horrible.  Yes, I let my dogs run off leash at the park across the street every night.  It's what dogs like to do.

Here's the illustration and point: The glow stick shines brightest in the dark!  The darker it is, the easier it is to spot Benny.  So it is with the Believer who is the "Light of the World."

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 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, NIV).

We are the light of the World.  If we are blending in with the rest of the World something is wrong.  And why does the Lord command us to LET OUR LIGHT SHINE?  Because, there is a possibility that we might not let it shine.  That's the point of a command; that is, we might be tempted to not do it.  Then, people would not see our good deeds nor glorify our Father in Heaven.  Thats a fact - It is possible for people NOT to see our good works...AT ALL.

Believers, let your light shine before all men that they may see your works and then praise your Father up in Heaven.

Enjoy this "Old School" tune by Third Day:

Rope Illustration of Eternity

A group of us ushered in the new year with a Word of encouragement from the Scriptures and prayer.  I shared a handful of verses with the theme of Ephesians 4:1-

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

The rope illustration I borrowed from Francis Chan.  I was first introduced to Francis Chan at Biola University when he came to speak at a Chapel service.  As always, he always inspired us to move on our faith.  I'll never forget that he talked about living a life worthy of the calling and what it meant to to give sacrificially and how it would/should impact the rest of our lives/comforts.  Then my buddy and I walked back to the dorm and saw him drive of in a "ghetto beast" car that I believe was running on 4 tiny spare tires. It was hilarious!  I'll never forget that. We walked away thinking, "dude. that guy was serious!" LOL.

Be blessed and inspired:

So, I'd encourage anyone reading this to marry this concept of living for eternity with our identiy in Christ as Believers who could in position, be in Christ, but in practice, be living for the little piece of red rope.  It is possible that our identity is in Christ and our eternal destiny is heaven, but we in pracitce live as if all that matters is the red. 

Change that lasts must come from the inside out. Our minds must be transformed and renewed to think of eternity and our identiy as prisoners for the Lord who make a conscious effor to live this life worthy of the calling we've all received.  Then and only then will the behavior follow.

After all, we are purusing heart renovation, not merely behavior modification.  That is to say, let's not focus on just "forget the red and consider the rest of the rope" but rather we should cry out to the Lord and ask him to reveal anything being harbored up in our hearts that is causing us to be consumed with the red part.  He will accomplish this through the Holy Spirit, the Word and the community in your life, just to name a few. 

May this year be a year where we are steadfast in the Word and fully committed to the body of beleivers; specifically, the few people that God has surrouned you with who speak truth into your life. For the men, they are other men who are not afraid to ask you the hard questions, confront your sin and confess their own sin to you.  May this year be a year where we are focused on our identity as prisoners for the Lord, walking worthy of the calling we've received.

Blessings for 2015!